Latest news with #VonVertes
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Aristocrat killer who forced candle down victim's throat spotted on dating apps
Art gallery owner Bennet von Vertes brutally murdered 23-year-old British graduate Alex Morgan with a candlestick in a Swiss villa - but is now said to be popping up on dating apps An aristocrat who brutally murdered his victim by shoving a candlestick down his throat has been found searching for love on dating apps. Art gallery owner Bennet von Vertes killed Alex Morgan in a Swiss villa in 2014. He was later handed a 12 year jail sentence for the savage attack, which saw him beat the 23-year-old British graduate with a candelabra, stab him with glass and force a candle down his throat. Now Alex's mum Katja Faber says she has been sent pictures of her son's killer trying to find love after a string of women alerted her to his profiles on dating apps. Katja told the Standard: "It's quite extraordinary that someone on parole for such serious crimes can wander about the world as if he had done nothing." Alex was born in London but studied at Gordonstoun near Elgin, Scotland for several years, before meeting his killer at Regent's University London, then known as Regent's College. His mum had moved to Switzerland, and when he went to visit her in December 2014, he was invited by Von Vertes to his family's empty villa after a night out, reports the Daily Record. There, Alex suffered more than 50 injuries in the brutal and prolonged attack, and was pronounced dead the following morning. During his trial, Von Vertes claimed Alex was the aggressor - but he did not show any defensive injuries, suffering only one cut to his finger. He was found guilty of intentional homicide but the case was sent back to court in 2019 for appeal, where Von Vertes claimed he was so high on drugs he believed Alex was a green alien. The killer was temporarily transferred to an enclosed rehab facility, but after another appeal by Katja, he was again found guilty of intentional homicide. The Supreme Court denied Von Vertes's final appeal in 2023. He was also found guilty of raping a woman in a London hotel. But last year, Von Vertes was released on full parole - and Katja, who now lives on a farm in Spain and helps other families suffering grief, was recently sent images of Von Vertes on dating apps from two women. She was also contacted by a third woman. One image shows Von Vertes with an AirPod in his ear and the other is of him standing in front of a set of mailboxes. It came after one woman said unwittingly went on a date with Von Vertes while he was on day release from prison, describing him as "verbally abusive" and claiming he had boasted about serving time in prison for killing someone. She said he had used the pseudonym Benjamin Schwarz when she met him on the app.
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Daily Record
Candlestick killer 'posing on dating apps' after release from prison for murder of schoolboy
Art gallery owner Bennet von Vertes brutally killed Alex Morgan, who had a Scots father and once studied at King Charles' former boarding school in Moray, with a candlestick in a Swiss villa in 2014. A drug-crazed aristocrat who murdered a former Scots public schoolboy with a candlestick has reportedly been posing on dating apps after his early release from prison. Art gallery owner Bennet von Vertes brutally killed Alex Morgan – who had a Scots father and studied at King Charles' former boarding school in Moray – in a Swiss villa in 2014. Von Vertes, 40, sas jailed for 12 years for battering Alex, 23, with a candelabra, stabbing him with glass and forcing a candle down his throat. Now Alex's mother Katja Faber has revealed how she has been sent images of her son's killer scouting for dates on apps around Europe after a string of women alerted her to his profiles. Katja, told the Standard, who recently released a podcast on the harrowing case: 'It's quite extraordinary that someone on parole for such serious crimes can wander about the world as if he had done nothing." Alex was born in London but studied at Gordonstoun near Elgin for several years before meeting his killer at the now Regent's University London. His mum had moved to Switzerland and when he went to visit her during Christmas 2014 he was invited by Von Vertes to his family's empty villa after a night out. Alex suffered more than 50 injuries in the brutal and prolonged attack and was dead by 7am on December 30. Von Vertes went on to tell a Swiss court Alex was the aggressor but he lacked defensive injuries, with just one cut to his finger. He was found guilty of intentional homicide but the case was sent back to court in 2019 for appeal, where Von Vertes claimed he was so high on drugs he believed Alex was a green alien. The conviction was briefly quashed and the killer sent to an enclosed rehab facility, but Katja fought for another appeal and he was again found guilty of intentional homicide. The Supreme Court denied Von Vertes's final attempt at freedom in 2023, meaning he had to accept his guilt, which also includes a conviction for raping a woman in a London hotel. Last year, nine years on from Alex's death, Von Vertes was released on full parole. Months later, Katja, who now lives on a farm in Spain and helps other families suffering grief, was sent images of Von Vertes on dating apps from two women and was contacted by a third. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. One image shows Von Vertes with an AirPod in his ear and the other is of him standing in front of a set of mailboxes. It has previously been reported that one woman unwittingly went on a date with Von Vertes while he was on day release from prison and found him 'verbally abusive' as he boasted about having been sent to jail for killing someone. The woman reportedly fled the horror date after matching with him on an app where he'd used the name Benjamin Schwarz.
