Three-day-old Michael  who police call a child of incest and abuse  had an undignified funeral: His little body was tossed into a furnace in the dark cellar where he and his three siblings had been imprisoned along with their mother for their entire lives.

Police say the infant was one of seven children Austrian Josef Fritzl told them he fathered through incest with his own daughter. Michael's death is now the centerpiece of the trial of the man who imprisoned his daughter for 24 years and repeatedly raped and tortured her. Among the issues still to be decided, is if any of the surviving children will take the stand.

Three of Michael's surviving siblings were confined to the dungeon-like bunker while three others lived as a second family upstairs with Fritzl and his wife.

Prosecutors are investigating to determine whether Fritzl murdered the baby in the basement of his home in the quiet village of Amstetten, Austria. If convicted, Fritzl himself could be locked away for life.

Gerhard Sedlacek, spokesman for the prosecution, told ABCNews.com that his team has hired a "child death specialist" who is preparing an expert opinion. He said conditions in the windowless basement may have contributed to the death of the baby.

 

Neonatologist to Testify

The expert witness  a neonatologist  was present during the testimony of Fritzl's 42-year-old daughter Elisabeth, Michael's mother, who so far is the only family member to accuse her father of torture.

The medical expert's opinion will help prosecutors decide whether Fritzl will be charged with manslaughter. If he is found guilty in the infant's death, he could face a life sentence. Without that charge, he is likely to serve only 10 to 15 years.

"If it emerges that Fritzl was aware that the child was severely ill and he did nothing to get medical help, that would be a case of murder under negligence and he would be charged accordingly," said Sedlacek.

Fritzl, 73 and a retired engineer, has admitted that he burned the tiny body, but has apparently denied any responsibility for the baby's death. Authorities say DNA tests confirm he is the father of all Elisabeth's seven children.

European press reports say he has already made a partial confession and is also being charged with rape, abuse, deprivation of freedom and incest.

 

Secret Interview With Daughter

According to the prosecution, Elisabeth was interviewed in a secret location after medical experts pronounced her in good health.

All family members, including Elisabeth's mother and all her children, have been treated at a psychiatric clinic and guarded by police since Fritzl released his captives in late April after the oldest daughter, 19-year-old Kerstin, became seriously ill and was hospitalized.

When her two imprisoned siblings  Stefan, 18, and Felix, 5  emerged from the dark cell, their immune systems were impaired due to vitamin deficiencies.

Kerstin was hospitalized for weeks with kidney failure and the entire family showed stooped posture due to the low ceilings in their underground enclosure.

The other three siblings, Lisa, 15, Monika, 14, and Alexander, 12, lived with Fritzl and his wife Rosemarie, 68, in the family home above the basement lair.

Next week, the prosecution will ask Kerstin and Stefan whether they will testify against their father, according to Sedlacek.

 

Siblings May Not Testify

But the Times of London is reporting that medical experts caring for the siblings have advised against their testifying, fearing the children would have to "relive" the ordeal. They say that might jeopardize the prosecution's case against Fritzl.

"It is completely up to them, and there's no pressure whatsoever for them to testify," said Sedlacek. "If they decide to make use of their right not to speak to the authorities and refuse to give evidence against their father, it will not necessarily weaken the prosecution's case. Our main witness is Elisabeth Fritzl, and her testimony is strong."

Sedlacek would not disclose details of her testimony, other than to say it was "excruciating." But press reports have speculated that she accused her father of rape and physical abuse, as well as the death of infant Michael.

Elisabeth Fritzl's personal physician was present during the questioning, which was video-linked to another room to save her from appearing in court and meeting face-to-face with her father again. Prosecutors are honoring a promise police officers made to her when she first began to talk about her ordeal.

After two months of treatment, the Fritzel family remains in seclusion at Amstetten-Mauer hospital, living in an apartment inside the facility.

"The kids' possible testimony will be discussed next week between the family lawyer and the judge in charge," said Sedlacek. "But it has been suggested that the children may decline to give any statement, which is perfectly understandable."

American doctors say the family members  both those who were imprisoned below and the ones who led a seemingly normal life above  face enormous psychological hurdles.

"This case is so unique, we can only look for approximations," Dr. Stuart Goldman, a psychiatrist at Harvard University's Children's Hospital in Boston, told ABCNews.com.

 

Children Witnessed Torture

"This would include long-term prisoners subject to extreme mental anguish and parents who have witnessed horrendous acts in some of the genocidal conflicts around the world," Goldman said.

Austrian psychologists have agreed. "They will never be able to live normal lives," psychologist Bernd Prosser told the press at the time of Fritzl's arrest. "I am afraid it is too late for that."

The four who were isolated in the hidden cellar were exposed to television but had no books or outside stimulation. Fritzl made repeat visits to rape his daughter with her children nearby, according to police.

Said Alice Honig, professor of child development at Syracuse University, of the children, "Their forever is compromised."

Elisabeth Fritzl, 42, who was imprisoned by her father for 24 years and forced to bear seven of his children, has moved to the secret location in Austria with her family after she completed her testimony against her father to court authorities.

The new apartment, which is being kept strictly confidential in order to prevent the press from finding out the family's whereabouts, is the first home Elisabeth has had after spending 24 years in the dungeon.

Her children Kerstin, 20, Stefan, 19 and Felix, five, who had never seen the light of day before they were freed by police on April 26, will for the first time be introduced to normal life after spending over two months in therapy at the Amstetten-Mauer psychiatric hospital.

Details of Elisabeth's evidence have not been released, but it was reported that she repeated the testimony she gave to police during the initial questioning and accused her father for the death of the newborn. Fritzl is facing charges of manslaughter, rape, incarceration and incest but prosecutors said that the first two would be difficult to prove in court due to the elapse of time and lack of forensic evidence.

 From the Canadian News:

Have Josef Fritzl's alleged incest dungeon victims given paparazzi the slip?

Authorities won't say, but Austria was abuzz Wednesday with reports that the daughter Fritzl imprisoned for 24 years and their six surviving offspring have moved to a secret location deep in the Alps where they can continue their recovery.

Security has eased up outside the psychiatric clinic near Amstetten, west of Vienna, where Elisabeth Fritzl, her children and Fritzl's wife have been getting treatment and counselling since those held captive gained their freedom in April.

The daily Oesterreich claimed the family has sought refuge somewhere in the Alps - possibly in the Salzkammergut, a popular resort area outside Salzburg nestled in mountains studded with pristine lakes and unspoiled forests.

The region, named for its former imperial salt mines dating to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, offers plenty of crisp fresh air and recuperative mineral baths "for those dungeon victims whose respiratory systems were injured," it said.

Christoph Herbst, a lawyer representing the victims, was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.

But the speculation touched off a flurry of calls to radio talk shows and some indignation in the blogosphere, where there were dozens of pleas to paparazzi to respect the victims' privacy.

From an Australian Newspaper

British newspapers reported that Elisabeth Fritzl, who had seven children to her father after enduring years of sexual abuse, and her family had left the Amstetten psychiatric clinic where they had been staying since being freed in April.

The Sun newspaper said doctors at the clinic had decided to move the family because it would have been an inappropriate place to rehabilitate Elisabeth's younger children over the long term.

"They're not here any more," an unnamed source told the newspaper.

"They and the security guards have moved on."

The Daily Mirror also reported the family would need the same security measures at their new home as they had at the clinic, where they were protected from the media.

"It was not an easy solution," a source said.

What are you doing for the next 24 years?

Remember that evil I told you about?  Yeh. Well, apparently it's breeding in other countries (not just the good 'ol US of 'A)!  All this went down in Austria and was covered on BBC News and other outlets back in April 2008 - Josef Frtizl held his then 15 year daughter in a man made dungeon for (get this) 24 years!  That's right, 24 years away from daylight and with limited oxygen.  Over 24 years "Elisabeth" would be subjected to torture and incest by her "father" Josef Fritzl.  Fritzl reportedly built the elaborate, highly secret dungeon because Elisabeth had became unmanageable due to the emotional changes brought on by puberty.  Crazy enough for ya yet? This tiny torture chamber was equipped with a bathroom, kitchen area, and sound-proof walls.  Josef would visit Elisabeth every night, bringing her gifts of torture and incest, which resulted in the birth of numerous children.  One of the babies would die in the basement after birth.  Fritzl lead everyone to believe that Elisabeth has ran away from home -- he even went as far to place a baby on his own front porch - with a note attached "take care of the baby" -Elisabeth" -- Frtizl's wife was unaware of any of the torture, she was even unaware of the secret cellar/torture chamber.  Life went on as usual above the hidden basement. Frtizl even allowed a couple of his own children to live basically normal lives -- "upstairs" -- nobody knew his secret.  There is so much to this story I can only summarize, just know that this is one sick person.  Elisabeth would eventually be set free - and make an attempt at a better life.  The emotional trauma of being confined for 24 years (away from sunlight) and hardly able to stand-up (given the dimensions of the space) is pretty inconceivable.  There are videos on youtube that show the dungeon and give more background on this creepy story.  Elisabeth is now 42 and Josef Fritzl is facing some serious jail-time and causing people all over the world to go "What the *uck?"

More on the cellar

The Fritzl property in Amstetten consists of a building dating from around 1890 and a newer building, which was added after 1978, when Fritzl applied for a building permit for an "extension with basement". In 1983, building inspectors visited the site and verified that the new extension had been built according to the dimensions specified on the building permit. Unknown to them, however, Fritzl had illegally created additional room by excavating space for a much larger basement and concealed it by erecting walls. Around 1981 or 1982, according to his statement^[2], he started to turn this hidden cellar into a prison cell and installed a washbasin, a toilet, a bed, a hot plate and a refrigerator. In 1993, he added more space by creating a passageway to a pre-existing basement area under the old part of the property, which nobody knew of apart from him.

The concealed cellar was soundproofed and consisted of a 5 m (5.5 yd) long corridor, a storage area, and three small open cells, connected by narrow passageways: a basic cooking area and bathroom facilities, followed by two sleeping areas, which were equipped with two beds each. It covered an area of approximately 55 m² (600 sq ft). The ceilings were no more than 1.70 m (5.6 ft) high.

The hidden cellar had two access points: a hinged door that weighed 500 kg (1,100 lb) which is thought to have become unusable over the years because of its weight, and a metal door, reinforced with concrete and on steel rails that weighed 300 kg (650 lb) and measured 1 m (3.3 ft) high and 60 cm (2 ft) wide. It was located behind a shelf in Fritzl's basement workshop, protected by an electronic code known only to Fritzl, which he entered using a remote control unit. In order to reach this door, five locking basement rooms had to be crossed. To get to the area where Elisabeth and her children were held, eight doors in total would need to be unlocked, of which two doors were additionally secured by electronic locking devices.

One last thing, Josef Fritzl when asked about why he did it, responded with "I always knew what I was doing was wrong" -- enough said.

For more information on this story - check out these resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritzl_case

Elisabeth Fritzl, 42, who was imprisoned for 24 years by her father, Josef Fritzl, and bore him 7 children; has been given medical clearance to begin testifying about her ordeal. She has already begun to answer questions and will continue to do so in the coming week. Elisabeth has said that she never wants to see her father ever again.....not even at trial. So in order to accommodate her wishes, all of her testimony is being videotaped so that she will not be forced to confront him in court.

The trial of Josef Fritzl is scheduled to begin later this year in front of one of Austria's most senior female judges, Andrea Humer, 48, who is considered to be an expert in sex crimes. However, under Austrian law, Elisabeth is being questioned by the investigative judge Christoph Bauer, and not the trial judge Andrea Humer. Neither the contents of the questioning nor the upcoming trial will be open to the public.

The actual questioning of Elisabeth is taking place in two separate rooms of the same building via a video link up. In one room will be Elisabeth and her lawyer Eva Plaz, along with judge Christoph Bauer. In the other room will be state prosecutor Christiane Burkheiser and Josef Fritzl's lawyer Rudolf Mayer. Defense lawyer Rudolf Mayer is allowed to ask questions, but his client, Josef Fritzl, who is also entitled to attend, has waived his right to be there. Rudolf Mayer, said: “My client will definitely not attend the questioning.” Elisabeth's two oldest children, who spent their entire lives in the cellar, Kerstin, 19, and Stefan,18, will also be questioned by the court as soon as doctors give their approval. Josef Fritzl's wife Rosemarie, 68, is also expected to be questioned.

In what may be a surprising development, it turns out that Austrian law, does not allow for cumulative convictions. This means that even if Josef Fritzl is convicted of multiple crimes he will only effectively serve one punishment, for the offense that carries the longest prison sentence.

Fritzl is facing potential charges of manslaughter for the newborn that died, as well as rape, coercion, deprivation of freedom and incest. But prosecutors told The Times that since the baby died in 1997, the manslaughter charges would be “extremely difficult” to prove. Even the rape charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, could be impossible to probe because of a lack of forensic evidence.

What this means is that the only charge that is certain to be proved in court is deprivation of freedom, a crime that can only be punished with ten years in prison under Austrian law. Josef Fritzl could be a free man after only 10 years in prison.

However, here's the irony in the situation..... Josef Fritzl, who incarcerated his own daughter in a windowless dungeon for 24 years, has admitted that he can't stand being locked up after only two months in prison. In spite of his fear of being beaten up or killed by other inmates, who routinely target child sex offenders, Josef has demanded his right to 30 minutes exercise outside every day. At night fellow inmates bang on the walls and shout: "Come on out Satan, we want to play."

Fritzl, who remains held in pretrial detention in St. Poelten, about 50 miles west of Vienna, now has half-hour walks, protected from other inmates by a close guard of prison officers. Fritzl even told prison guards he enjoyed having the sun on his face during his walks.

"Mr Fritzl is accommodated in a cell for two and recently he has made use of his right to go outside for half an hour per day,” the Telegraph quoted prison spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Erich Huber-Guensthofer, as saying.

A source is quoted as saying: "He usually sits there watching television all day, especially news programs about him. He's terrified that someone will attack him or try to kill him."

In encouraging news about the Fritzl family; Lisa, 15, one of Elisabeth's daughters, was sneaked out of the compound where the family has been staying to attend a summer camp. It is reported that the girl enjoyed four carefree days of outdoor fun under an assumed name with 4,000 other young campers. Armin Blutsch, who commands Amstetten's fire brigade, and Hans-Heinz Lenze, a local official, said camp organizers took it upon themselves to include her after she said it was her "ardent desire."

Other family members also have ventured, always in disguise, from the Amstetten-Mauer psychiatric clinic where they have been recovering to make day trips, including swimming outings. The clinic however remains under police guard to shut out the paparazzi who have laid siege to the building in an effort to photograph Elisabeth and her children.

"Fortunately, everything is going very well," said Christoph Herbst, a lawyer representing the victims. He said they were spending some time each day trying to answer the hundreds of letters sent by well-wishers from around the world.

For the complete story of Elisabeth Fritzl and her ordeal at the hands of her father click the following link for a 5-part video presentation of The Josef Fritzl Story.

Elisabeth Fritzl, the Austrian woman who was held hostage in a cellar by her father for 24 years, has begun to tell her story to prosecutors, in the run-up to a trial in the worst recorded case of incest and imprisonment.

At a preliminary session with investigators on Friday, Elisabeth, 42, was taken to a secret location and shown the rooms where the intense interviewing sessions are to take place over several days or weeks. The questioning is due to begin in earnest tomorrow. Her evidence will be videotaped and played during the trial so that she will not have to face her father in court this winter.

Elisabeth had earlier backed out of an attempt to question her. She had been told that her father, Josef, 74, would be able to watch the sessions via a video link from his St Pölten prison cell and that he would be allowed to pose questions directly to her. She told investigators she was not ready to face him.

But Fritzl's lawyer, Rudolf Mayer, has since declared that his client would waive his right to be present during the questioning, although he still has the chance to change his mind.

As Elisabeth recalls the years during which she was allegedly sexually abused by her father, tied up, and bore seven children to him without any medical attention, psychologists will be on hand and can insist that the interviewing is broken off at any time.

Elisabeth will be interviewed by Andrea Hummer, the young judge who will preside over the case and who is an expert in sexual crimes. In a neighbouring room, the interview will be watched by state prosecutor Christiane Burkheiser and Fritzl's lawyer, both of whom will be able to pose questions to Elisabeth via Hummer. The scenario is one usually reserved for child victims of sexual abuse to protect them from further trauma.

'The questioning will take place according to the state of mind of the witness,' Gerhard Sedlacek, spokesman for the state prosecution service of St Pölten told Der Spiegel. 'We waited until she was healthy enough to give evidence before beginning.'

At the end of the month, her oldest children, Stefan, 18, and Kerstin, 19 - who emerged from an artificially induced coma to the amazement of medical staff and her family last month - are also due to give evidence. They, along with Felix, five, were imprisoned with their mother in the cellar. Three other children - Lisa, 15, Monika, 14, and Alexander, 12 - whom Fritzl claimed his daughter had dropped on the family doorstep, asking him and his wife Rosemarie to take care of them, were brought up upstairs.

As the two parts of the family, who are living in a flat at a psychiatric clinic near their hometown of Amstetten, seek to build a new life together, it has been revealed that hospital staff have been regularly disguising the children and smuggling them past waiting photographers to take them on secret trips to learn about ordinary life and social interaction.

Lisa, 15, was even sent to a camp run by the fire brigade for the region's youth after she wrote in May to Amstetten's fire chief Armin Blutsch, expressing her 'deepest wish' to attend. Her name was changed to protect her identity, and she mixed with 4,000 children over four days and was able to meet school friends for the first time since the case came to light three months ago.

There are unconfirmed reports that Alexander was also sent to the camp. There have been trips to zoos and leisure parks, also following requests by the children. Felix, meanwhile, is being taught to swim in the clinic's pool. 'Fortunately, everything is going very well,' said Christoph Herbst, the family's lawyer.

Part of the children's day is taken up with answering letters from the hundreds of well-wishers from around the world. Otherwise, the family has been enjoying walks in the hospital grounds and learning, above all, to be patient with each other.

Psychologists say that one of the greatest challenges has been for the 'upstairs' children to accept the slowness of the 'downstairs' children, whose lives revolved around a few books and a television set, and were played out in a tiny space devoid of artificial light or fresh air. The 'downstairs' children continue to be startled by seemingly mundane events like a moving cloud or a chirping bird.

For now, the focus is on the investigation. The key decision that must be made is what Fritzl, who has confessed to imprisoning Elisabeth and having children with her, can be charged with. A neonatologist is seeking to determine whether Fritzl can be charged with murder after DNA tests confirmed he was the father of a twin who died shortly after birth and whose body he allegedly threw into a furnace.

'It will be difficult to bring a murder charge,' Sedlacek admitted. 'But we'll leave no possibility unturned.'

If he is found guilty of murder along with kidnapping and rape, Fritzl faces life in prison. Without a murder conviction, he faces 10 to 15 years in jail, which, it is believed, would create a national and international outcry.

About this article

Close

This article appeared in the Observer on Sunday July 13 2008 on p36 of the World news section. It was last updated at 00:00 on July 13 2008.

In a delicious twist of irony, imprisoned Josef Fritzl insists on open air exercises in prison while his cellar children are slowly venturing out into the wide world outside.

Fritzl had kept his daughter Elisabeth locked in a cellar in Amstetten, Austria, and fathered her seven children before police caught him when he was forced to hospitalize one of the three brought up in the dungeon.

One of the seven died when very young, three were never allowed to leave the cellar even for a minute, while the other three went on to live with Fritzl as his adopted or fostered children.

Elisabeth, her children and her mother are getting treatment and counseling at a psychiatric clinic guarded by police since late April.

One of the children who lived upstairs — a 15-year-old girl — spent last weekend "incognito" at a youth fire brigade camp with 4,000 other youngsters and met up with some of her school friends for the first time in nearly three months.

Other family members also have made day trips outside under disguise, the Kurier newspaper reported.

Elisabeth has been questioned by prosecutors for the first time, it has been reported.

The Austria Press Agency, citing unidentified judicial sources, said 42-year-old Elisabeth Fritzl was interviewed Friday in a secret location.

Film of the interviews will be shown in court at the father's trial later this year, Austrian media reported.

Fritzl himself has been making copious notes ready for the interview, as he will be present when Elisabeth speaks via a video link up and will be allowed to ask questions via his lawyer.

And the man who locked away his daughter in a windowless cellar for 24 years, has asked permission to leave his prison cell, saying he can no longer stand being cooped up.

Prison spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Erich Huber-Guensthofer said: "Mr Fritzl is accommodated in a cell for two and recently he has made use of his right to go outside for half an hour per day.

"He usually sits there watching television all day, especially news programmes about him," said one prison source. "He's terrified that someone will attack him or try to kill him."

Legal authorities in Austria have begun questioning Elisabeth Fritzl, the woman who was held captive in a cellar for 24 years by her father, Josef.

The questioning involved a doctor to determine how one of the seven babies she was forced to bear by her father had died, said the prosecutor's office.

Mr Fritzl confessed to incinerating the body of the dead baby, officials say.

Formal charges against Josef Fritzl may be ready within a few months - allowing a trial to start later this year.

The interview is being filmed so that Elisabeth Fritzl will not have to give evidence in person in court, officials said.

It is not clear how long the questioning will last or where it is taking place.

Possible murder charge

Mr Fritzl is being held in pre-trial detention in St Poelten, 80 km (50 miles) west of the capital, Vienna.

His alleged victims, including Elisabeth, 42, are undergoing treatment at a psychiatric hospital.

Prosecutors say Mr Fritzl has confessed to keeping his daughter captive in a cell at his home in Amstetten, where he says he had seven children with her.Three of the children were confined to the cellar, three were raised above ground, and one died in infancy, officials say.

Mr Fritzl confessed to disposing of the child's corpse - a twin born in 1997 - and could face murder charges if he is found responsible for the death, officials say.

DNA tests have shown he is the father of Elisabeth's six surviving children.

The case first came to light after Kerstin, one of the children fathered by Mr Fritzl, became seriously ill and was taken to hospital.

Unable to find any medical records, they appealed for the teenager's mother to come forward.

At that point Mr Fritzl released Elisabeth, who then explained the story to police.

Kerstin was finally reunited with her family after coming out of a coma earlier this month. She is expected to make a full recovery.

 

Josef Fritzl, who locked his daughter in a cellar dungeon for 24 years, has asked permission to leave his prison cell after admitting he can no longer stand being cooped up.

Fritzl, 73, kept daughter Elisabeth locked in a windowless cellar in Amstetten, Austria, and fathered her seven children before being caught by police. Three of the children had never seen daylight before being released.

Now, after just two months of incarceration and despite his fear of being attacked by fellow prisoners, he has demanded his right to 30 minutes exercise every day.

Fritzl has now twice had half-hour walks, protected from other inmates by a close guard of prison officers.

Prison spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Erich Huber-Guensthofer said: "Mr Fritzl is accommodated in a cell for two and recently he has made use of his right to go outside for half an hour per day.

"He usually sits there watching television all day, especially news programmes about him," said one prison source. "He's terrified that someone will attack him or try to kill him."

Prosecutors are about to interview Elisabeth, 42, and expect to put her father on trial in September.

Fritzl has been making copious notes ready for the interview, as he will be present when Elisabeth speaks via a video link up and will be allowed to ask questions via his lawyer.

 

Fritzl, 73, has already confessed to imprisoning his daughter Elisabeth, 42, in the cellar in his home in Amstetten, Austria, and fathering her seven children.

He is facing potential charges of rape, incarceration, incest and manslaughter, as one of the children died shortly after birth in 1997 and Fritzl burned his body in an incinerator.

However, unlike in Britain and America, the Austrian penal code does not allow for cumulated convictions, meaning Fritzl will only serve the punishment for the offence that carries the longest prison sentence.

And according to prosecutors, manslaughter and the rape charges will be difficult to prove due to the elapse of time and lack of evidence.

The only charge Fritzl is certain to face is incarceration, for having kept his daughter and their children in the dank cellar for 24 years, an offence that can only be sentenced with 10 years in prison in Austria.

A spokesman for the prosecution said: "Manslaughter will be very difficult to prove as there is no forensic or any other kind of evidence available since the suspected crime happened many years ago.

"Such charges would require evidence that the suspect acted with premeditation and that he knew there was danger of the newborn dying after birth."

"The charges of rape will also be difficult to prove, due to the absence of any objective evidence and would therefore probably only be based on the statement of the victim, who has not yet given evidence to the prosecutors."

 

[polldaddy poll="774066"]

Austrian incest victim Elisabeth Fritzl will be questioned by a public prosecutor for the first time in mid-July, after her doctors gave the green light, a spokesman for the prosecution said today.

The 42-year-old woman had been incarcerated and repeatedly raped by her father Josef for over 24 years. During her time in the dungeon below her family home in Amstetten, Elisabeth Fritzl gave birth to seven children, one of whom died shortly after birth.

A medical expert specialised in the health of newborn babies would also attend the interview, Sedlacek said, "in order to ask questions about the state of the newborn".

If judicial authorities determine that Josef Fritzl, 73, neglected to provide medical care for the dead child, he might be charged with murder, in addition to rape and illegal restraint.

Read the rest at http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/doctors-to-allow-questioning-of-austrian-incest-victim/2008/07/09/1215282932108.html

She was initally too traumatized to give a full statement, but has now made enough progress to talk about her ordeal.

One piece of evidence the police are extremely interested in is the death of one of her twins.

Daddy dearest left Elisabeth alone for three days after she gave birth to them, and Elisabeth's statement will determine whether Fritzl will be charged with murder.

From the AP:

VIENNA, Austria (AP) — Questioning of an incest victim held in a cellar for 24 years is set to start later this month and will involve a doctor to determine how one of the seven babies she had with her father died, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

St. Poelten prosecutor Gerhard Sedlacek also said authorities hope to have formal charges against Josef Fritzl ready within a few months, which would allow a trial to start before the end of the year.

Fritzl has told investigators he fathered his daughter Elizabeth's seven children; three raised in a cellar at his home in Amstetten, three brought up above ground, and one who died in infancy, officials said. DNA tests confirmed he is the biological father of the six surviving children.

Authorities say Fritzl confessed to incinerating the corpse of the dead baby, identified as one of a pair of twins born in 1997. He could face murder charges if it turns out he was responsible for its death, Sedlacek said.

Sedlacek says Elisabeth's questioning by a judge will take place in a special room at an undisclosed location. Her answers will be transmitted via video to the defense and she will not have to face her father unless she specifically requests to do so.

At least two days are set aside for the questioning, Sedlacek said.

Fritzl and his wife raised three of the children he fathered with his daughter after Fritzl claimed Elisabeth left them at the doorstep of the family's home. Authorities say the other three were confined underground.

From NINEmsn:

Fritzl, 74, is writing his memoirs in prison and is planning to sell his story to the highest bidder, UK's Sunday Mirror reports.

Elisabeth, 42 – who was repeatedly raped by her father and gave birth to seven of his children while locked in the family cellar – is reported to be horrified.

Fritzl's plans to sell his story have been condemned by Elisabeth's lawyer Eva Plaz.

“It has been bad enough with all the leaks from doctors and police sources about Elisabeth," Ms Plaz was quoted by The Sun newspaper as saying.

“But that her father, who caused all her suffering, means to cash in on her ordeal is sickening.”

Elisabeth – who is recovering from her ordeal in a psychiatric clinic in Austria – has said she just wants to live the remainder of her days in privacy.

“She is appalled. It is like being violated all over again," The Sun quotes a source close to her as saying.

Ms Plaz said Fritzl's story would be worth a lot of money because Elisabeth had made it clear she didn't want to sell hers.

Elisabeth was drugged and dragged into Fritzl's secret cellar in 1984, when she was 18.

She finally escaped in April when her eldest child Kerstin, 19, fell seriously ill and had to be taken to hospital.

Fritzl is yet to be charged or put on trial for his crimes, but police say he has admitted to raping Elisabeth and holding her prisoner.

It seems Elisabeth has had no idea until now, the amount of details that the police and others associated with the case have released to the public.  No doubt she's pissed, hurt, and feeling violated again.  I hope this squashes all the talk about her giving an interview, because clearly, having the media involved in her life, or her past ordeal, is the last thing she is looking for:

http://news.scotsman.com/world/Fritzl-incest--victim-.4261118.jp

Well, well, well.  I am sure your fingers are tripping over each other, trying to write your comments on this one. 

It will be interesting to see if Elisabeth's lawyers head to court to stop this story from being sold by Fritzl, or having him involved in any other attempts to make some money off of this tragedy.

http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/sunday/2008/07/06/evil-fritzl-is-selling-his-story-98487-20633428/

Dungeon monster Josef Fritzl is writing his memoirs in prison - to the horror of the daughter he held captive and raped.

Elisabeth, 42, who gave birth to seven children, is aghast at the thought of the world reading 74-year-old Fritzl's account of her 24-year or deal in Amstetten, Austria, which he plans to sell to the highest bidder.

Frizl spends hours writing as fellow prisoners shout "Come out Satan - we want to play".

A source said: "Elisabeth is appalled. It is like being violated all over again. He knows his story is worth a lot because she has made it clear she does not want to sell hers."

 

By Christina Reihill

Sunday June 29 2008

If last week's documentary on the unspeakable acts of Josef Fritzl left you feeling nauseous, get ready to throw up. Because, when I heard Fritzl's line of defence -- "I was addicted to abusing my daughter" -- a chill went up my spine.

As unacceptable as this rationalisation might be, the truth is that anyone familiar with the unconscious mapping of addictions knows he could link a cogent argument here.

And the legal commentator interviewed knew this. "Addiction is not a defence!" he erupted.

Addictions are not an acceptable defence for criminal behaviour, but lawyers know that crimes committed by those in addiction can win leniency, and many think Fritzl knows this, and is already on the case.

As a master manipulator, Fritzl claims his motives were good, while he cast a powerful spell of denial around him.

Behind a mask of unholy deception, this architect of darkness robbed the hopes and dreams of so many, including the ultimate innocents -- his children.

How they survived this ordeal will add significantly to exisiting psychological theory.

Meanwhile, Fritzl's extraordinary cunning and capacity to beguile those around him will be testing the psychiatrists and lawyers preparing for the trial.

And while many will want him convicted as a criminal, with the promise that he will never be free to act out his sadistic primitive urges again, there is no guarantee of this.

The Austrian State has already proved itself to be the primary colluding force in allowing Fritzl's savage behaviours to go uninvestigated -- the Justice Minister admitted his officials had been "gullible" in accepting Fritzl's reasons for the disappearance of his daughter -- so we have no reason to believe that it won't continue to indulge him, or fall prey to his deep narcissistic wounding.

There is a strong mental health argument outside the obvious Freudian one. (He has said that he lusted after his mother -- which is the case for addiction.)

If the defence succeeds in defining his behaviour as an addiction, it could claim he had no control over his impulses, which could mitigate any possible charge against him. The defence could argue that Fritzl's powerful desire to sleep with his mother began as a compulsion, which led to a sex abuse addiction. Addiction counsellors know that when a compulsion becomes an addiction, self-will runs riot in the unconscious mind of the addicted person.

The key for the prosecution will be to prove Fritzl was aware of what he was doing and knew that it was wrong. Meanwhile, Fritzl's defence team will be studying the complex definition and nature of addictions.

Patricia Casey, the psychiatrist interviewed on the same programme, stated Fritzl will have trouble defending an insanity plea because his behaviour fails to exhibit the chaotic presentation of a psychosis eg: schizophrenia/ bi-polar disorder -- which is true, but she was not asked to comment on the addiction argument. Or maybe she was, and wisely stood back from commenting on it.

Because Fritzl's behaviour can be framed in the context of an addiction.

Of course, his repeated abuse of his daughter bears no comparison to the addictions we're used to dealing with -- alcohol, food, drugs and/or gambling -- but that doesn't mean his behaviour is not an addiction. His crime doesn't even compare with the behaviours of serial killers, but in terms of the unconscious pathways that addictions travel, there is a pathological map Fritzl's lawyers can, and will, undoubtedly use.

As unsettling as this is, I'd say Fritzl has already researched this subject and knows what boxes need ticking to flag his defence and has already laid the foundations for this argument.

In his limited statements so far, he's told reporters that he had a difficult childhood, with a dominating mother who regularly beat him.

This statement prepares the ground for a "learned sadistic behaviours" defence.

Addictions are defined by thought patterns. Fritzl's legal team could find experts to map their unconscious pathways to their client's pathology.

In terms of the definition and nature of addiction, the jury could well be presented with some version of the following: Addictions are sophisticated systems of denial requiring subtle but sustained attention for the addicted person -- Fritzl's highly organised attention to detail beggars belief.

Another definition states addictions are unstable states of being marked by a compulsion to deny who we are in favour of a new or desired experience. If the defence does its homework, they'll note that addictions focus on issues of control. Addictions, however harmless, make us feel in control, however illusory or momentary that is. Every "fix" soothes us with the statement "all is well" whether it's a hit of heroin or a high from hoping -- our drug of choice is only the vehicle we use to fast track its good feeling.

Fritzl's team could argue that, as a result of his experience of powerlessness under the sadistic reign of his mother, he unconsciously sought power by controlling all around him.

This argument should lose weight, as he seems to have been aware that what he was doing was wrong (the elaborate planning to hide his behaviour and a host of other arguments will support this), but the addiction argument has grounds.

More theoretically, Fritzl's behaviour is striking in its stunning metaphor for addictions. Our addictions hold the secrets of our most primitive desires in the cellars in our minds, and to keep these yearnings alive requires incredible planning and attention to detail, however unconsciously that is. The keys, the locks, the steel doors and dungeons we build, make up a labyrinth of unconscious locking systems which protect and propel our bad addictions, however hidden and harmless they may seem to be.

Indeed, some therapists would argue that some of these spaces are necessary to protect what is precious, as well as unhelpful to us. At the end of the documentary, the commentator remarked on the irony that Fritzl's years of imprisoning his family now had him under lock and key, which is the ultimate metaphor for addiction.

A Japanese proverb relating to alcohol addiction and how it imprisons the alcoholic states: The man took the drink, the drink took the drink, then the drink took the man.

- Christina Reihill

Galina Sapozhnikova. Photo: Author and KP archive. — 25.06.2008

One cannot help but wonder how the drama went unnoticed for so long.

Just imagine the small town of Amstetten, Austria. On a quiet road rests a light blue home with ornate paintings decorating the rooms inside. Here lived Joseph Fritzl, 73 years old, his wife Rosemary and their many children.

But beneath the property's loving facade lies a concrete labyrinth that once housed Fritzl's numerous victims.

Newspapers worldwide recently reported how Fritzl held his daughter Elizabeth captive in his basement for 24 years. Each year she bore him more children. Fritzl brought the three loudest infants upstairs. He told his wife that their daughter had joined a religious sect and left the newborns on their doorstep in the night. In the evenings, Fritzl went downstairs via a secret passage in the garage to see the other children. One died in infancy and Fritzl burned the child's body in the same gas furnace where Rosemary baked biscuits on holidays.

Given the recent trend in such crimes, the main shock factor of Fritzl's story is how long Elizabeth was held captive. Austria witnessed a similar crime only several years ago. Natasha Kampush, who was then 18, ran away from her captor Wolfgang Priklopil after 8 years of confinement. Russia wasn't shocked at the crime itself either. In 2004, Lena and Katya, two girls from Rzyansk, were freed from a vault beneath a garage owned by Viktor Mokhov, a factory worker in Skopin. Back then, their story was beyond comprehension. But today, they seem lucky. Three and a half years of abuse is insignificant compared to Elizabeth's quarter-century of captivity.

Despite several differences, the horrible tales of captivity are nearly identical. The Austrian bunker was in fact much more comfortable than its Russian analogue at 55 square meters with two rooms, a kitchen, a tiled shower and a washing machine. (The Russian bunker was primitive — a 5-square-meter hovel with an electric oven and bucket instead of a toilet.) But Amstetten and Skopin both have a population of 25,000 and seem peaceful rural towns to outsiders. What else ties together the fate of Mokhov, an unmarried Russian who lived with his mother and had no personal life, and Fritzl, an Austrian family man and father to numerous children living near the Alps?
"He did what many people think about doing..."

It would be wrong to say that Skopin and Amstetten are backwards in some way. News reports about similar incidents in France, Belgium, Hungary and Italy have hit kiosks in recent weeks. What unites these criminals who imprison and sexually abuse their victims?

Psychologists say that they crave absolute power. This forces them to build a world that they alone can rule. With one press of a button, Mokhov was able to cut off the ventilation in the small bunker if his victims refused to fulfill his sexual fantasies. Meanwhile, psychologists called Fritzl an egoist after stating that he liked to feel like God. But such an illness falls outside the realm of psychiatric pathologies. Fritzl is more a victim of psychological licentiousness than anything else.

"Fritzl did what many people think about doing," Director of the Sigmund Freud Fund Inga Shultz-Strasser told KP.

But thinking is not doing. Fortunately, few people manifest their sexual fetishes by oppressing others.

Mokhov learned how to build bunkers while watching a documentary film about the criminal Aleksandr Komin. Ten years ago, Komin built a vault where he forcibly kept two slaves. He tattooed the word "SLAVE" on their foreheads and made them stitch robes for his makeshift enterprise. After Mokhov was captured, he confessed that he plagiarized Komin. When Mokhov saw him describing how he built the cell on television, he said to himself: "I can do better than that!"

Nightmare on Fritzl's Street

"We just live far too well. And we're all going mad from the fat," said the salesgirl at the flower shop near Fritzl's home when I asked her if Amstetten was to blame for what happened.

No journalist would have ever stepped foot in the tranquil Amstetten if it wasn't for Fritzl. The town is boring and clean, and the people are beaming and bursting at the seams like overfed tomatoes. Many are willing to give their two cents about the incidents.

"I won't tell you if Fritzl was my client," said a hairdresser in the neighboring building. "Because that would be unethical. And also because my uncle raped me when I was 13 years old."

"When I rented an apartment from Fritzl, I often heard strange sounds coming from the cellar," Elizabeth's schoolmate Alfred Dubanovskiy told journalists.

But it isn't easy to get an inside look into how the investigation is unfolding. The police monitor Fritzl's home 24/7. When people get too close to the property, the police run over and say that they can't proceed any further and have been told not to comment on the incident. Trying to interrogate the neighbors to get details is also pointless. Austrians don't like poking their noses in others' affairs.

Interestingly, it seems that no one knew anything about Fritzl's crime during Elizabeth's captivity. This includes the whole Fritzl family (6 children besides Elizabeth) and all the tenants living in their home. One reason why is that they used the front door of the premises to enter and leave the house. Fritzl, however, pulled his vehicle into the covered garage where he had access to a secret, locked entrance to the basement. As a result, no one saw him taking the washing machine downstairs or regularly bringing up garbage.

But there are doubts about the involvement of Fritzl's wife. Did Rosemary really not know what was going on all that time? Oddly enough the entire street says, "No."

"She's such a kind, generous woman!" they say. "She takes her kids to study music and play sports. And her husband is a fop. So spic and span... He acted more like a minister than an electrician!"

Fritzl's neighbors Ingrid and Gertruda, two elderly women, defended Rosemary on camera.

"He was such a tyrant!" they said. "But Rosemary is a good woman who got married at 17!"

The question about what to do with the unfortunate home weighs heavy on the minds of Amstetten residents. The basement can be turned into a museum of horrors, or the past can simply be laid to rest.

"You'll see. Soon something worse will happen and they'll forget all about us!" a pharmacist told us near Fritzl's home.

"This is private property," said Hermann Hruber, an employee at the local mayor's office. "The home has an owner. That individual needs to decide what will happen to the property." So it seems that Fritzl will keep control of the situation even in prison. In Austria, breaching rights to personal property is just as severe an offense as infringing someone's personal freedom.

All electricians

A maniac is a person consumed by a mania. Does this include the desire to be God? Surprisingly, Fritzl, Mokhov, Priklopil and Komin are similar in both history and profession. They were all crazy about their mothers, grew up without fathers and were beaten in childhood. All their mothers were strong women. Fritzl's mother kicked her husband out and Mokhov's mother controlled who Mokhov brought home in the evenings even when he was 53. Priklopil was also close to his mother. He committed suicide shortly after he learned that his prisoner had escaped. But his mother recently said in a statement: "I think that he loved Natasha."

Of course he did. Priklopil loved her in the same way that children love their toys. Fritzl hid his daughter in the basement because he thought that he was saving her from drugs and the negative influence of her peers. Komin considered himself to be a benefactor because his prisoners had work, a roof over their heads and food. Mokhov thought that he was rescuing the whole world, too. He said that all young women were prostitutes and he had isolated Lena and Katya to steer them away from the banes of society. All the perpetrators were also miserly and kept detailed accounts of their expenses. And they all had arguments to justify their cruelty.

"I could have killed them all and there would have been no evidence," Fritzl said to his lawyer when he told him how he had brought Elizabeth cake on her birthday. "I bought the girls strawberries!" Mokhov screamed in court.

All the perpetrators had a technical education. More specifically, they were all electricians. Only criminologists can say if this is only a coincidence. Can society battle the animal in man?

See the final installment in the next issue.

Frank Cutka, a court spokesman, said the trial is likely to begin this autumn or winter and preparations are running "at full speed".

Fritzl, 73, has confessed to holding his daughter Elisabeth captive as a sex slave in a windowless dungeon he built beneath his home in the town of Amstetten, west of Vienna.

Austrian prosecutors have said Fritzl should be charged with murder after one of the seven children he fathered with Elisabeth, 42, died shortly after birth in the bunker. He confessed to hurling the baby's lifeless body into a heating oven three days after its birth in April 1996.

The Fritzl family – his wife Rosemarie, 68, his daughter Elisabeth, and her children Stefan, 18, Lisa, 15, Monika, 14, Alexander, 12, and Felix, five, are all recovering and their condition is improving "faster than expected," a hospital spokesman said.

Prosecutors are expected to begin interviewing the family next month according to Austrian public broadcaster ORF. Fritzl remains in detention in St. Poelten.

Acknowledging intense worldwide media interest in the case, Mr Cutka said journalists would be required to accredit themselves for the trial and would be issued "reserved tickets" to cover the proceedings.

Elisabeth Fritzl, the Austrian woman who was locked in a cellar for 24 years, has refused to testify against her father who imprisoned her, saying she is not yet ready to face him.

Doctors caring for Fritzl, 42, told the Austrian media she needed more time to prepare for the encounter, which will require her to give evidence against Josef Fritzl, 73, via a video link.

While she would not be in the same room as him, she would be able to see him and could also face questioning by her father if he chose to challenge or rebut her evidence.

The hearing was due to start in a week's time, on Elisabeth's insistence, so her father's trial could begin as soon as possible. It has now been put on hold indefinitely.

Doctors will determine when she is fit enough to testify.

It is expected that Elisabeth will give evidence from the clinic in Lower Austria where she is being treated along with her six children, all of whom were fathered by Fritzl during her incarceration.

Doctors will be on hand to ensure she takes adequate breaks and that she is not overwhelmed by the encounter, which will be the first since the kidnapping ordeal ended two months ago.

Her mother Rosemarie, who denies knowledge of her husband's double life, is due to give evidence at the same time.

"A video recording of it will be shown at the main trial, because the victims will not be required to appear in person to give evidence," said Franz Cutka, a spokesman for the court in St Pölten, where the trial is due to start at the end of the year.

Elizabeth Fritzl, who was imprisoned in the windowless dungeon and abused for more than two decades, was due to give evidence against her father via video link at the start of July.

However, doctors caring for her and her family have asked for the questioning to be rescheduled for the end of the month, and warned they could request a further delay.

Elisabeth, 42, had insisted on bringing forward her testimony to police to ensure that Fritzl's trial can take place as soon as possible.

Police hope this will speed up the legal process and that Fritzl, 73, will be in the dock by the start of next year.

Elizabeth's live statement will be the first time she has seen her father since her ordeal ended. Doctors will be on hand to ensure she does not suffer a breakdown as she relives her years of torment.

Her mother, Rosemarie, will give evidence at the same time.

Fritzl will appear on a link-up from his prison cell. The live link-up means he will be able to make comments about her statements, alongside prosecution and defence lawyers and the judge.

A hospital insider told Austrian media: "She was determined to make sure he did not escape on a technicality or get freed on bail if the proceedings were to drag on too long. When she found out that the trial could not go ahead without her statement she insisted on it being done as soon as possible."

The three children who lived with Elizabeth in the cellar will be questioned at a later date and may not be included in the trial. Prosecutors have said it is the evidence of Elisabeth and her mother are the most crucial witnesses in their case.

I don't know if this is true... but according to The UK Mirror, Josef Fritzl is, apparently, sitting in his prison cell penning his memoirs! 

The article says Fritzl spends hours writing, as fellow prisoners shout, "Come out Satan. We want to play."

A source quoted by The Mirror said:

"Elisabeth is appalled. It is like being violated all over again. He knows his story is worth a lot, because she has made it clear she does not want to sell hers."

No kidding.

But I'm quite certain criminals are not allowed to profit from their crimes. Perhaps in Austria this doesn't apply?

[photo source: thesun.co.uk]

Christa Woldrich, Elisabeth Fritzl's best friend before Elisabeth was imprisoned by her evil dad 24 years ago, has recorded a CD to raise money for Elisabeth and her children.

The CD contains only one song, entitled "24 Jahre" ("24 Years"), written and sung by Ms. Woldrich.

She told the Austrian Times: "I decided to record a song so I can cope better with all the nightmares I experienced since I heard what Elisabeth had to endure all those years."

Although Ms. Woldrich hasn't sung in 20 years (hmmm), she got together with a band called "Experience" and they recorded the CD together.

Speaking about her friendship with Elisabeth, between the ages of 11 and 15, she said: "We were always together. In all the years I knew her she never spoke about what her father had been doing to her.

We were always jealous of the other children who were allowed out occasionally to go to the playground. While their parents gave them a free rein to play, we were forced to stay at home. We didn't have a happy childhood, but I was allowed to have a life afterwards. That was something Elisabeth never had."

Ms. Woldrich hasn't been in direct contact with Elisabeth and was told by Elisabeth's lawyer that "she and the children still need time on their own to get back to normal."

She sent one CD to the clinic where Elisabeth and her family are being treated, and asked them to tell Elisabeth about the project.

The CD sells for 7.00 Euros (5.50 pounds or 11.00 US ), but she's hoping buyers will donate more.

For information on how to order, click here.