Surely many people know Elisabeth Fritzl, the unfortunate victim of her cruel father. This terrible story took place in Austria, in the small town of Amstetten. The investigation in this case went on for a whole year before the culprit got what he deserved. So, what is this story that plunged the whole world into horror, we will learn from our article.
The story of Elisabeth Fritzl
The world learned about who Elizabeth was in 2008, when the girl managed to free herself from the basement in which she was imprisoned by her own father. The details of the case were kept under wraps by the police as the circumstances were not fully disclosed.
It was only known that the release of Elizabeth was preceded by a serious illness of her eldest daughter, 19-year-old Kerstin. Weakened from illness, the girl was brought to the hospital by her grandfather, Josef Fritzl. It is also known that the doctors received a written message from her mother, in which she allegedly asked to help her daughter.
The doctors who examined Kerstin were alert, because everything seemed rather strange: the mother who had not arrived, the unusu althe behavior of the grandfather and the inexplicable condition of the admitted girl (the doctors failed to diagnose her). In this regard, it was decided to contact the police.
Key details of Elizabeth's release
At the time of her release, Elisabeth Fritzl was already 42 years old. From the testimony of the woman herself, it followed 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 took place in 1984, when Elizabeth was only 18 years old.
It is unfortunate that during the time of imprisonment the girl gave birth to seven children from her father. Three of them he took to raise, and the rest he left in the basement with Elizabeth. One of the babies died shortly after birth. Senior Fritzl burned his body right in the courtyard of the house.
The victim herself told the police all this, and then her father confirmed her words. Dotted all the DNA tests, which convinced the investigators that all this really happened to Elizabeth. It is also noteworthy that the town of Amstetten was considered one of the quietest and most peaceful in all of Austria. The fact that such terrible events took place very close, none of those who lived nearby even suspected.
A few words about the head of the family
All the while the investigation was underway, the police tried to find out new details that would tell how a father could do this to his own daughter.
People around him claimed that he was always observed cruelty. In addition, it turned out that the head of the family wasintemperate in sexual life. For example, in 1967 he was arrested for rape. Fritzl spent 1.5 years behind bars. It also became known that, despite having a wife, he used the services of prostitutes, who in narrow circles called him a real sadist.
The family described the man as a tyrant. Neighbors and friends of Rosa-Maria's wife repeated 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 Fritzl family.
The horrifying fact is that the cruel man didn't even bother to lock up his victim in a remote place, but built a real prison in his basement. 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 come out for hours. No one even suspected what was happening there.
How did Fritzl explain the disappearance of his daughter?
The father said that his daughter Elisabeth Fritzl had gone into a religious sect without explaining anything to anyone. Why the mother did nothing to search for her daughter is still a mystery.
Rosa Maria was not alarmed by the fact that Josef began to bring babies one by one to the house, explaining this by the fact that the unlucky daughter was throwing them up. Three children of Elizabeth Fritzl, whose photo is attached in our article, were adopted by their grandparents. They, like all normal children, attended school, played withfriends while the rest languished in the basement. Unfortunately, the fact of the unexpected appearance of three children in the Fritzl family did not even interest social services.
Did anyone else get involved?
According to public data, no other arrests have been reported in this case. The mother herself claims that she knew nothing 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 found him to have serious mental disorders. Apparently, Josef himself considered himself a maniac. In court, he called himself a "born rapist."
What caused such deviations in 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 ago 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 in all his glory appeared before the court and answered for his actions.
What is the punishment for a rapist?
The prosecution in the case of Elisabeth Fritzl, whose photo after her release 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 even 1 year.
But the prosecution still managed to get the maximum punishment for Fritzl under two heavy articles: murder and slavery. The first was life imprisonment. It was proved that the child died due to untimely medical care, so it was Fritzl who was responsible for his death.
In addition, Josef was charged with two more counts: ill-treatment and false imprisonment.
Court
After the completion of the investigation, a new problem arose - with the jury. Many candidates refused to participate in the process, as no one wanted to listen to the circumstances of such a terrible case.
Finally, the hearing was scheduled for March 16, 2009. The process lasted 4 days.
During this time, the jury managed to listen to the testimony of Fritzl, witnesses, a video in which Elizabeth spoke about her terrible life, the opinions of psychoanalysts, specialists who examined the basement where the abusive father kept his daughter, etc.
It should be noted that Fritzl himself initially denied many of the circumstances. For example, he claimed that he was trying to save his daughter from drug addiction, and also said that there was no murder of the child. It is also noteworthy that he accused Elisabeth Fritzl of instigation: the daughter allegedly asked to kidnap another girl so that she would not be bored.
On the third day, Fritzl confessed to all the charges. This happened when Elizabeth herself appeared in the courtroom, who for a long time refused to take part in this.
In the end itwas sentenced to life in prison, which he will serve in a prison designed for mentally ill criminals.
The Later Life of Elizabeth
Elizabeth has never appeared in public and has not given interviews to reporters. Only photos flash in the press, where the victim was recorded before the abduction. It is known that Elisabeth Fritzl and her children currently live in another city under a different surname.
As for the eldest daughter, who fell into a coma after a long absence of sunlight in her life, she was saved.
We are unlikely to know what awaits Elisabeth Fritzl after her release. One thing is clear: the less a poor family will be teased by the public, the faster their life will return to normal.
