Surely many know Elizabeth Fritzl - the unfortunate victim of her cruel father. This terrible story happened in Austria, in the small town of Amstetten. The investigation in this case took a whole year before the culprit got what he deserved. So, what kind of story is this that plunged the whole world into horror, we learn from our article.
The Story of Elizabeth Fritzl
The world found out who Elizabeth was in 2008, when the girl managed to free herself from the basement in which her father imprisoned her. The police kept the details of the case secret, since all the circumstances were not fully disclosed.
It only became known that the release of Elizabeth was preceded by a serious illness of the eldest daughter - 19-year-old Kerstin. Weakened from the disease, the girl was brought to the hospital by her grandfather, Joseph Fritzl. It is also known that the doctors received a written message from her mother, in which she allegedly asked for help to her daughter.
The doctors who examined Kerstin were wary, because everything seemed rather strange: the mother hadn’t arrived, the grandfather’s unusual behavior and the girl’s inexplicable condition (the doctors still couldn’t diagnose her). In this regard, it was decided to contact the police.
The main details of the release of Elizabeth
At the time of her release, Elizabeth Fritzl was already 42 years old. It follows from the testimony of the woman herself that her own father raped her from the age of 11, and when the poor girl tried to escape, he locked her in one of the basement rooms. This event occurred in 1984, when Elizabeth was only 18 years old.
It is regrettable that during the imprisonment the girl gave birth to seven children from her father. He took three of them to education, and left the rest in the basement with Elizabeth. One of the babies died immediately after birth. Senior Fritzl burned his body right in the courtyard of the house.
All this was told by the police to the victim herself, and then her father confirmed her words. DNA tests dotted all the points that convinced investigators that all this really happened to Elizabeth. It is also noteworthy that the town of Amstetten was considered one of the most quiet and calm in all of Austria. The fact that such terrible events took place very close by was not even suspected by anyone living nearby.
A few words about the head of the family
All the while the investigation was being conducted, the police tried to find out new details that would tell about how a father could do this to his daughter.
The people around him claimed that cruelty had always been observed. In addition, it turned out that the head of the family was intemperate in sexual activity. For example, in 1967 he was arrested for rape. Fritzl spent 1.5 years behind bars. It also became known that, despite the presence of his wife, he used the services of prostitutes, who in narrow circles called him a real sadist.
The family described the man as a tyrant. The neighbors and friends of Rosa Maria’s wife reiterated with one voice that the woman was very afraid of her husband. It should be noted that, in addition to Elizabeth, seven more children grew up in the Fritzley family.
The fact that the cruel man didn’t even bother to lock his victim in a remote place, but built a real prison in his basement, is terrifying. The door to the dungeon where Elizabeth lived was in her father’s workshop and was covered by a shelf with tools.
According to the family, Fritzl constantly went down to the basement and did not go out for hours. No one even suspected what was happening there.
How did Fritzl explain his daughter’s disappearance?
The father stated that his daughter Elizabeth Fritzl went into a religious sect without explaining anything to anyone. Why the mother did not do anything to search for her daughter remains a mystery.
Rosa Maria was not alarmed by the fact that Joseph began to bring babies one by one to the house, explaining this by the fact that the inconspicuous daughter throws them up. Elisabeth Fritzl, whose photo is attached in our article, was adopted by her grandparents. They, like all normal children, attended school, played with friends, while the rest languished in the basement. Unfortunately, the fact that three children suddenly appeared in the Fritzley family was not even interested in social services.
Have you attracted anyone else?
According to public data, no one was informed about the detention of anyone else in this case. The mother herself claims that she did not know anything about the actions of her husband. In addition, in court, she demanded compensation from newspapers that wrote about her personal life.
As for Fritzl himself, the doctors discovered he had serious mental disorders. Apparently, Joseph himself considered himself a maniac. At the trial, he called himself "a born rapist."
What was the cause of such deviations from Fritzl Sr?
The main reason for this abuse was a terrible childhood. As it became known, his own mother beat him and did not allow him to communicate with peers. Fritzl himself said that he had long punished her. The woman sat in a closed room for almost 20 years.
Despite the inappropriate behavior of the maniac, the court found him sane. Therefore, Fritzl appeared in court in all its glory and was responsible for his actions.
What is the punishment for the rapist?
The charge in the Elizabeth Fritzl case, the photo after the release of which is in our article, tried to achieve the most severe punishment for the criminal. It turned out that from the point of view of jurisprudence, rape (in accordance with Austrian law) provides for 15 years in prison, and incest at all for 1 year.
But the prosecution nevertheless managed to achieve maximum punishment for Fritzl under two grave articles: murder and slavery. The first involved life imprisonment. It was proved that the child died due to medical assistance not provided on time, therefore it was Fritzl who was guilty of his death.
In addition, Joseph was charged with two more charges: ill-treatment and unlawful imprisonment.
Court
After the investigation was completed, a new problem arose - with the jury. Many candidates refused to participate in the process, since no one wanted to listen to the circumstances of such a terrible case.
Finally, a hearing was scheduled for March 16, 2009. The process lasted 4 days.
During this time, the jury managed to hear Fritzl’s testimony, witnesses, a video in which Elizabeth talked about her terrible life, the opinions of psychoanalysts, experts who examined the basement, where the cruel father kept his daughter, etc.
It should be noted that Fritzl himself at first denied many circumstances. For example, he claimed that he was trying to protect his daughter from drug dependence, and also said that there was no murder of the child. It is also noteworthy that he accused Elizabeth Fritzl of incitement: the daughter allegedly asked to abduct another girl so that she would not be bored.
On the third day, Fritzl confessed to all charges. This happened when Elizabeth herself appeared in the courtroom, who for a long time refused to take part in this.
As a result, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, which he will serve in a prison intended for mentally ill criminals.
