Josef Fritzl has been photographed for the first time after 15 years serving his sentence in a high-security psychiatric prison, being moved to a normal cell. His story is very shocking, since the 88-year-old imprisoned and raped his daughter.
He was labeled as the "monster of Amstetten", the city where he lived, after the serious event that shocked not only Austria, but the whole world, since in 1984, he locked Elizabeth, his 18-year-old daughter, in the basement. He held the girl hostage for 24 years and during this period had 7 children with her, one of whom died.
Fritzl hid his daughter in the basement that resembled a war bunker, common in Austrian homes, and told his wife, family and friends that his daughter had joined a cult and left.
According to the Austrian authorities, the wife, who lived on the second floor of the apartment, was not aware of what was happening in the basement. The girl disappeared in 1984 and came out of the basement in 2008, where she witnessed her father's terrible torture.
The daughter managed to free herself from the basement after becoming seriously ill and he was forced to take her to the hospital. The daughter contacted the police and reported the case.
He was arrested in 2009 and sentenced to life imprisonment for committing incest, rape, kidnapping, enslavement and manslaughter of one of the minor boys.
Mental health expert Heidi Kastner described Josef as extremely psychologically abnormal and incapable of feeling. She said he suffered from dementia
Due to his advanced age, Josef Fritzl, 88, was required to attend only psycho-therapy sessions at regular intervals and undergo psychiatric evaluations for 10 years, the Austria Press Agency reported.
The request for his release was rejected, but he will again be moved to a regular prison, since according to psychological evaluations, he no longer poses any danger.
Even before that, Fritzl's legal team had asked to be moved to a regular prison, but the request filed in 2022 was rejected.
"The court has come to the conclusion that, in fact, he is no longer dangerous," said his lawyer, Astrid Wagner, who revealed that Josef was moved to tears by the court's decision and that he is extremely sorry for the harm he did and he would like to undo his work.
The decision has not yet been confirmed and Josef may also be moved to a care home, as he suffers from dementia.
The lawyer has visited Fritzl 40 times since 2022 and has written a book about his story. "The Abysses of Josef F." it is based on the judgment that he should be released, in a care home, as he does not possess sexual desires".
In an interview with the German media "Bild", Astrid said that Josef spends the day watching TV and looking at the sun through the window bars.
