Fritzl goes on trial
JordyWordy
Posts: 2,261
"A 73-year-old Austrian man who fathered seven children with a daughter he imprisoned in a cellar for 24 years has gone on trial today for murder. Josef Fritzl pleaded guilty to rape and incest but denied murder in connection with the death of a newborn boy who died underground. He also pleaded not guilty to a charge of enslaving his daughter Elisabeth for most of her life.
The defendant faces charges ranging from rape to enslavement for the incarceration of his daughter and three of the children he had with her - acts that sent a wave of revulsion through Austria and the world.
"He shut [Elisabeth] away in the cellar and made her totally dependent on him, forcing her into sexual acts and treating her as if she was his own property," his charge sheet reads. Fritzl's lawyer argues that a charge of enslavement is inappropriate but says he will plead guilty to deprivation of liberty, coercion, rape and incest. He will contest the most serious charge of murder, however.
Prosecutors say Fritzl is responsible for the death of a twin who died shortly after being born in the cellar in 1996. They say this was murder through neglect because he failed to seek help for the baby, whose body he burnt in a furnace.
The court will hear evidence that Fritzl refused to take action when the boy developed severe breathing problems and turned blue. Fritzl’s daughter said his reponse was: “Whatever happens, happens.” "
contesting the murder charge? ugh. how can keep going with this?
The defendant faces charges ranging from rape to enslavement for the incarceration of his daughter and three of the children he had with her - acts that sent a wave of revulsion through Austria and the world.
"He shut [Elisabeth] away in the cellar and made her totally dependent on him, forcing her into sexual acts and treating her as if she was his own property," his charge sheet reads. Fritzl's lawyer argues that a charge of enslavement is inappropriate but says he will plead guilty to deprivation of liberty, coercion, rape and incest. He will contest the most serious charge of murder, however.
Prosecutors say Fritzl is responsible for the death of a twin who died shortly after being born in the cellar in 1996. They say this was murder through neglect because he failed to seek help for the baby, whose body he burnt in a furnace.
The court will hear evidence that Fritzl refused to take action when the boy developed severe breathing problems and turned blue. Fritzl’s daughter said his reponse was: “Whatever happens, happens.” "
contesting the murder charge? ugh. how can keep going with this?
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I think of things like, did she get an education, is she illiterate, was she allowed to watch TV, so does she know anything about what the world is like to live in, besides living with this monster.So much of the damage to her is irreversible and permanent. Plus, anyone who knows this part of her history can use this and prey upon her quite easily. She is helpless. He should get life. Too bad he can't get the death penalty. He basically killed her. She knows nothing else but what she learned with her life with him. She may turn out a predator.
Where was the rest of her family during the past 24 years?
Someone needs to castrate this guy. I wonder who gets her kids now. I doubt she is able to care for them.
I know of a few cases like this, not quite so bad, but very similar, (they werer clients at where I worked). Each one ended up with split personality, which is very rare. Its not schizophrenia, as many think, not even similar.
She may have split personality as a result.
I want to castrate this dude.
I hope this woman is stronger than one might think after all she went through. By the way, I think she was 17 when Fritzl locked her in and started his terror on her, so she of course got an education and knows about the world. I'm not a psychiatrist, but I can imagine that Elisabeth got some strength during all these years of imprisonment because she did have to care for the three children who were locked in with her. Maybe that made it worth staying alive and sane. As far as I know she is living with all of her children now, even with the ones Fritzl took out of the cellar and raised himself.
"I plead guilty to (all) the charges in the indictment," he said, including murder of a newborn son, through neglect, in the windowless, purpose-built cellar under his small-town home.
His turnabout also altered his plea from "partial" to full guilt on the charge of rape. Fritzl had denied murder and enslavement, the two gravest charges, at Monday's outset of the trial in St Poelten, a provincial capital west of Vienna.
The trial was expected to be completed tomorrow, with sentencing the same day. The retired engineer faces life in prison for murdering the baby son, a twin, who died shortly after being born in the cellar in 1996.
Responding to questions from Judge Andrea Humer, Fritzl said he should have taken seriously the fact that the infant was breathing poorly and tried to get the boy to a hospital quickly.
"I was hoping the little one would survive but I should have done something. I don't know why I didn't help. I just lost sight (of the issue)," he said. "
theres a feature on the man and the house here, nothing new, except the astounding name: "Fritzl Interactive"
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Interactive-Graphics/Fritzl
she was 18 when he drugged her and put her in the hidden cellar. it initally was 18square metres, had no heating or water.
he had started sexually abusing her when she was 11 and her brother knew about those attacks, maybe he was abused too, who knows? This knowledge of the abuse made her brother believe Joseph when he told the family Elisabeth had run away (he made her write a letter). Its hard to know who knew what. The wife has run away, and didnt feature in the trial.