Swiss town in shock after soccer coach held over 4 killings

BERLIN — The small Swiss town of Rupperswil is in shock after learning that a long-time local youth soccer coach is suspected of being behind the brutal killings of four people last December.

A 33-year-old Swiss citizen, named by local media as Thomas N., is suspected of killing a mother, her two teenage sons and another woman in the town 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of Zurich. Prosecutors said the suspect made a “comprehensive confession” after his arrest Thursday.

Roland Wenger, a spokesman for the club FC Sarmenstorf soccer club where the suspect had been a coach, said members were horrified by the news.

“Nobody in the club would have thought Thomas N. would be capable of this, he was always decent,” he told daily Tages-Anzeiger in an interview published Saturday.

Rupperswil mayor Rudolf Hediger told daily Aargauer Zeitung there was relief at the arrest but also “a certain amount of shame and dismay that it was really a member of our village community.”

Prosecutor Barbara Loppacher said the suspect was an unmarried local resident with no previous convictions or connections to the victims. She said, based on his statement and the investigation, police believe he acted alone.

Prosecutors believe N. acted out of financial and sexual motives in the killing of 48-year-old Carla Schauer, her 13- and 19-year-old sons and the latter’s 21-year-old girlfriend.

Authorities revealed grim details of the crime Friday. According to investigators, the suspect tricked his way into the Schauers’ home on Dec. 21. He made the mother bind and gag the other victims before forcing her to withdraw about $11,000, said police captain Markus Gisin told reporters.

After she returned, the suspect tied her up, raped the younger son, killed all four by cutting their throats and set fire to the house, Gisin said.

The absence of any link between the victims and the suspect had made the investigation particularly difficult, said Gisin. After his arrest, police were able to tie his fingerprints and DNA to the crime.

Gisin said the man’s arrest may have prevented further killings.

“Based on yesterday’s search of the home, further investigations and questioning, we have to assume that the perpetrator had concrete plans for similar crimes,” he said.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Everett mall renderings from Brixton Capital. (Photo provided by the City of Everett)
Topgolf at the Everett Mall? Mayor’s hint still unconfirmed

After Cassie Franklin’s annual address, rumors circled about what “top” entertainment tenant could be landing at Everett Mall.

Everett
Everett man sentenced to 3 years of probation for mutilating animals

In 2022, neighbors reported Blayne Perez, 35, was shooting and torturing wildlife in north Everett.

The Washington State University Snohomish County Extension building at McCollum Park is located in an area Snohomish County is considering for the location of the Farm and Food Center on Thursday, March 28, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Year-round indoor farmers market inches closer to reality near Mill Creek

The Snohomish County Farm and Food Center received $5 million in federal funding. The county hopes to begin building in 2026.

Dorothy Crossman rides up on her bike to turn in her ballot  on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett leaders plan to ask voters for property tax increase

City officials will spend weeks hammering out details of a ballot measure, as Everett faces a $12.6 million deficit.

Starbucks employee Zach Gabelein outside of the Mill Creek location where he works on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 in Mill Creek, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mill Creek Starbucks votes 21-1 to form union

“We obviously are kind of on the high of that win,” store bargaining delegate Zach Gabelein said.

Lynnwood police respond to a collision on highway 99 at 176 street SW. (Photo provided by Lynnwood Police)
Police: Teen in stolen car flees cops, causes crash in Lynnwood

The crash blocked traffic for over an hour at 176th Street SW. The boy, 16, was arrested on felony warrants.

The view of Mountain Loop Mine out the window of a second floor classroom at Fairmount Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County: Everett mining yard violated order to halt work next to school

At least 10 reports accused OMA Construction of violating a stop-work order next to Fairmount Elementary. A judge will hear the case.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.