Josef Fritzl

Austrian kidnapper and rapist

Josef Fritzl (born 9 April 1935) is an Austrian criminal who has been convicted in the Fritzl case. He held his daughter Elisabeth captive in a basement dungeon that he built under his house. Fritzl made his daughter write letters to him and her mother, saying she had joined a cult. During the 24 years that he had her imprisoned, Fritzl often raped his daughter, and she had seven children with him because of this. One of the baby boys died and Fritzl burned his body. The police eventually found out about his crimes when one of the children became very sick and he took her to the hospital.

Josef Fritzl
Born
Josef Fritzl

(1935-04-09) 9 April 1935 (age 89)
NationalityAustrian
Known forImprisoning and raping his daughter Elisabeth
Criminal statusIncarcerated at Garsten Abbey
SpouseRosemarie Fritzl (m. 1956; div. 2012)
Conviction(s)Murder by negligence, rape, and other charges
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment

Fritzl was tried and convicted on several charges, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment in a facility for the mentally ill in March 2009. Fritzl could become eligible for release after fifteen years, but he is expected to be in prison until he dies.[1] A forensic psychiatrist diagnosed him with a personality disorder and a sexual disorder.[2]

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