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Austrian Incest Dad Fit to Stand Trial
October 15, 2008 11:35 AM
By CHRISTEL KUCHARZ, ABC News Germany
Austrian prosecutors received a 130-page psychiatric evaluation today that shows Josef Fritzl, the man who is accused of imprisoning his daughter Elisabeth for 24 years, is clinically sane.
“He suffers from a profound personality disorder but he’s not insane, and he will not be able to blame his actions on a moment of madness,” said Dr. Gerhard Sedlacek, the prosecution spokesman, in St. Poelten, Austria. Sedlacek is handling the case.
During a telephone interview with ABC News, Sedlacek confirmed that the court-ordered psychiatric evaluation had been conducted and that the man, who has reportedly admitted to holding his daughter captive in a dungeon below the family home, is lucid enough to stand trial.
A previously taken DNA test proved the man was the father of Elisabeth’s seven children during that time. Six children survived the ordeal. A baby boy died in the dungeon only days after he was born and Fritzl confessed that he burned the dead baby in the furnace of his house in Amstetten, Austria.
According to Austrian newspaper Der Standard, Dr. Adelheid Kastner, a well-known psychiatrist at the Wagner-Jauregg mental asylum in Linz, Austria, conducted six sessions with Fritzl during which he reportedly was very cooperative.
The psychiatrist did not disclose any details of her findings to the newspaper, but she is quoted as saying that Fritzl is not insane and that his claims to have “suffered a 24-year-long state of intoxication” are “simply impossible.”
Sedlacek explained that Fritzl’s legal team has, of course, the right to challenge the psychiatric report but, “We don’t know about that yet. It remains to be seen how the defense reacts to that evaluation.”
Dr. Rudolf Mayer, the defense lawyer, when asked by ABC News, said he had no comment on the psychiatric evaluation of his client.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sedlacek confirms that the prosecution needs another three to four weeks to finalize the charges against Fritzl. “We hope to be able to hand the complete charges against him to the judge in the first week of November. The defense team will then have two weeks to object to the charges. Any objections will need to be ruled by Austria’s highest district court,” he said.
“I think it’s getting tight to have a trial before the end of the year but chances are that we will have a trial very early on next year,” said Sedlacek. “One thing is for sure, the man will be put in a psychiatric institution, which could be the one in the prison, in addition to any sentence he’ll receive and he will face the full force of law.”
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October 15, 2008 in Christel Kucharz | Permalink | User Comments (39)
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I hope he rots in solitary for the remainder of his meaningless life.
Posted by: Nik | Oct 15, 2008 1:17:57 PM
I hope GOD grants him space in heaven because he will not find peace with man.
Posted by: Francine | Oct 15, 2008 1:46:22 PM
For me he deserves the golden rule. Do unto others as they do unto you. There is no punishment in this world good enough for him. For me he deserves what he gets and then some.
Posted by: Henry | Oct 15, 2008 1:56:40 PM
Where was her mother when all of this was going on, if alive she should be tried as an acessory to rape and kidnapping
Posted by: evonne waldrum | Oct 15, 2008 2:01:00 PM
This man is as sick as they get. How a parent could inflict such torture on thier own child is just mind-boggling. My prayers go out to his daughter and her children - may they find peace.
Posted by: Moosedog66 | Oct 15, 2008 2:02:44 PM
They better find a deep dark hole to keep him in because there is no place on earth that he will be safe after this story broke out. The man is deserves everything he gets and then some. I hope his daughter finds peace and a real life after her ordeal.
Posted by: Amazing | Oct 15, 2008 2:47:24 PM
He knew what he was doing. Of course he isn't crazy.
Posted by: truthteller | Oct 15, 2008 2:54:15 PM
Evonne,
From what I can remember [from when the story broke] was that the daughter, at the time of captivity, was around 18yrs old. They, father and mother, looked for her but were convinced the daughter left home and never came back. The mother believed her daughter was alive and around because the father allowed two of the children to live with him and his wife, convincing the wife that their daughter left the kids on the porch for them to raise.
I don't think the mother is to blame. The father is a sick, sick man and I feel SO bad for the daughter whom had to endure 24 years of rape from her own father and for those poor children whom were the result of his abuse.
Posted by: moe | Oct 15, 2008 2:55:34 PM
One 9MM round fired right between his eyes. Fast and low cost way to rid the planet of this piece of scum. Do it soon.
Posted by: DANO | Oct 15, 2008 3:14:46 PM
How could a father do this to his own child? Look at the sick man he probably has raped and killed other women. If I were his victim I would kill him as soon as the opportunity presented itself. My prayers are with her.. I wonder if I would be able to raise the kids...or if i would just put them up for adoption. Thank GOD i don't have to make that chose.
Posted by: nancy | Oct 15, 2008 3:32:54 PM
Everyone makes mistakes! We need to forgive and move on with our lives
Posted by: monrotus | Oct 15, 2008 3:59:43 PM
Wasn't Noah raped by his two daughters?
Posted by: natkat | Oct 15, 2008 4:16:28 PM
monrotus,
"mistake?". You call raping your own daughter for 24 years, fathering children as a result for such as long...a "mistake"?
...
I'd rather not touch upon your comment any further. I'll let the people judge it as such.
As for this..."human". I don't care what happens to him, as long as there isn't a corpse left when SOMEONE gets through with him.
Posted by: Dan G | Oct 15, 2008 4:16:49 PM
Sources tell me that this man was approached by the Obama camp and was offered a job to head ACORN.
Posted by: davectrep | Oct 15, 2008 4:18:13 PM
Hate to be off topic, but can a moderator do something about davectrep??
Posted by: Dan G | Oct 15, 2008 4:25:18 PM
Dan, let's face it, barry's whole camp is corrupt, would I be surprised if this man ended up working for barry ? The answer is NO !!!
Posted by: davectrep | Oct 15, 2008 4:29:07 PM
Well, he seems nice other than the rape thing.
It's also possible that he didn't know that his daughter didn't like being imprisoned. Did you ever thing of that? You can't punish someone for failing to have physchic powers and always know what people want.
Posted by: monrotus | Oct 15, 2008 4:33:17 PM
Monrotus: I assume you are either sick yourself, you are deliberately trying to be provocative.
Posted by: Lisa Again | Oct 15, 2008 4:40:33 PM
he should be castrated, period, my girlfriend thinks!!!
Posted by: Michael | Oct 15, 2008 4:43:26 PM
Maybe she encouraged him to act out these horrible acts of passion, we'll just have to wait and see what the courts decide.
Posted by: davectrep | Oct 15, 2008 4:43:34 PM
He who is without sin cast the first stone.
Posted by: davectrep | Oct 15, 2008 4:48:08 PM
All good comments-- 'cept montlyrotus of course.
Posted by: J.Danforth | Oct 15, 2008 4:58:24 PM
Wait a minute, ALSO, 'cept the "hEWHO IS WITHOUT SIN.. author!
Posted by: J.Danforth | Oct 15, 2008 5:03:02 PM
Lisa Again, I am not sick or provoked, but I have to say that I didn't read the article before posting and i thought he just locked his daughter up with no rape. That is very bad.
But I do think that a parent should be able to discipline his child and grounding and locking them in their room is something that is up to the parent, even though I disagree with it. So we need to at least keep that in mind.
Also I agree with you that 24 years is on the long side of grounding.
Posted by: monrotus | Oct 15, 2008 5:05:02 PM
This is a very sick man who will have to work hard in the afterlife to pay off the terrible karma he wrought on himself. As for his poor daughter, she can never get over this - not in this lifetime. He stole her life - he should be put to death. I've never read such God-awful stuff in my life.
Posted by: Jenna | Oct 15, 2008 5:12:34 PM
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