Amstetten, Austria

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Sister-in-Law: Fritzl's Wife Never Suspected

She swallowed tale that teen joined cult

(Newser) - The wife of the Austrian grandfather who kept their daughter imprisoned in a basement under their apartment for 24 years never suspected she was there, her sister tells the AP. Rosemarie Fritzl believed her husband's tale that the daughter he kept as a sex slave ran away from home to...

Fritzl Will Plead Insanity
Fritzl Will
Plead Insanity
May 4, 2008 1:28 PM CDT

Fritzl Will Plead Insanity

Lawyer says man who raped daughter for 24 years' is mentally ill, not responsible for actions

(Newser) - The man charged with imprisoning his daughter for 24 years and repeatedly raping her may not spend long behind bars, reports the Times of London, as Josef Fritzel's lawyer plans to plead insanity to avoid a prison term. “Josef Fritzl is mentally ill and therefore not responsible for his...

Fritzl's Lawyer Sees 'Good But Also Bad' in His Eyes

'My job is to show him as a human being,' attorney says

(Newser) - Josef Fritzl's attorney is bonding with his client and painting a new picture of him for the press, Der Spiegel reports. “Josef Fritzl is being portrayed as a horrific monster and sexual tyrant," said Rudolf Mayer, a renowned Viennese lawyer. "My job is to show him as...

Fritzl Neighbors Knew He Was Raping Daughter

Ex-tenant, others didn't report abuse before she was imprisoned

(Newser) - A tenant who lived in Josef Fritzl's house for 4 years in the early '80s knew the Austrian father was abusing his daughter Elisabeth, the Times of London reports. The lodger said he was told of the abuse by a neighbor, who had helped the teenage Elisabeth escape to Vienna—...

Fritzl Served Time for Rape in 1960s

Victim recalls attack; he has 2 other arrests for sex offenses

(Newser) - It seems Josef Fritzl’s daughter wasn’t the only woman he abused. Fritzl was a known sex offender even before his basement of horrors came to light, with prior convictions for a rape, an attempted rape, and public exposure, the Times of London reports. It’s a major embarrassment...

Dungeon Daughter Will Probably Die
Dungeon Daughter Will Probably Die
May 2, 2008 9:31 AM CDT

Dungeon Daughter Will Probably Die

Police would consider murder charges against Fritzl

(Newser) - Kerstin Fritzl, the eldest of Josef Fritzl’s “downstairs family,” has slipped into a coma from which she is unlikely to recover, the Daily Telegraph reports. “She is suffering from multiple organ failure,” said a hospital spokesman. “That means her chances of survival are very...

Dungeon Kids Adjusting to Sunlit World

Fritzl children finding fresh air, cows, cell phones fascinating

(Newser) - Stefan and Felix Fritzl were awestruck by the moon, nudging each other, pointing, giggling with joy, the Guardian reports of the boys' first days outside the windowless Austrian cellar they grew up in. The pair, aged 18 and 5, had only seen the sky on television. Now, they’re adjusting...

Austrian Dad May Be Linked to Old Murder

Police take new look at killing of teenage girl 20 years ago

(Newser) - The 73-year-old Austrian man who has confessed to fathering seven children by his imprisoned daughter is being investigated in connection with a 20-year-old murder case. Police say that a teenager assaulted and killed in 1986—near property owned by Fritzl's wife—bore an "incredible" resemblance to his daughter, reports...

Austrian Town Holds Vigil for Dungeon Family

Horrified residents gather in support of victims

(Newser) - Hundreds of people gathered last night for a candlelit vigil in the Austrian town where a man locked his daughter in a basement dungeon for 24 years and fathered her seven children. Emotional residents stood in the rain to demonstrate solidarity with the captive family, the BBC reports. "We...

Dungeon Takes Physical Toll on Austrian Kids

Stooped children hurt by lack of sun and health care, immunity weakened

(Newser) - Doctors have begun to tally the physical toll of a lifetime of imprisonment on the three Austrian children locked in a cellar by their grandfather/father Josef Fritzl. The children all have defective immune systems, are anemic and suffer from a vitamin D deficiency from their time in a 650-square-foot cellar....

Incest Family Members Meet for 1st Time

Austria reunion goes smoothly; prosecutors weigh murder charge

(Newser) - Members of the family in the Austrian incest case have met for the first time and interacted with "astonishing" ease, an official at the clinic where they're being treated told the AP. Although the children who were imprisoned with their mother had never met their other siblings or grandmother,...

Stories 21 - 31 | << Prev