One of the world’s most infamous sex offenders, Josef Fritzl, could soon walk free.
According to his lawyer, Astrid Wagner, the man behind one of history’s most shocking crimes may be back on the streets sooner than expected.
“Given his condition, I believe he will be released by next year,” she says, according to the Mirror.
Josef Fritzl’s chilling crimes
Josef Fritzl, now 89, is an Austrian criminal who shocked the world in 2008 when it was discovered that he had imprisoned his daughter, Elisabeth, in a basement for 24 years.
During her captivity, he repeatedly abused her, fathering seven children with her.
The horrific case came to light when one of the children needed medical attention. In 2009, Fritzl was sentenced to life in prison for rape, incest, false imprisonment, and murder by neglect of one of the infants.
But now, he believes he may soon be released. And as if that weren’t shocking enough, the infamous sex offender believes he will walk out of prison to people ”cheering and wanting to shake his hand” if his bid for freedom succeeds.
Despite the unimaginable suffering he caused, Fritzl believes that upon release, he will be welcomed back by society.
”This is obviously not the case. It is a fantasy. I don’t think he fully understands what the world really thinks,” his lawyer, Ms Wagner explained.
But what isn’t a fantasy is that his lawyer plans to submit a parole application for Fritzl in March and is confident about his release, claiming that his advanced age and declining health mean he no longer poses a threat to society.
”He’s old and getting more and more frail. He’ll be 90 next year. And now it’s time for him to be released,” his lawyer told Daily Mail in January.
Deemed no longer dangerous
This belief is reinforced by a regional court ruling in January 2024, which deemed Fritzl no longer dangerous, allowing for his potential transfer from a high-security prison to a regular jail.
”If the court rejects it we will appeal and given his condition I believe he will be released by next year,” Ms Wagner told the Mirror.
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Fritzl reportedly claims to “regret his decisions every day,” yet still holds the delusional belief that he has friends waiting for him outside prison, according to his lawyer’s statement to the Mirror.
However, he is said to acknowledge and respect his family’s choice to cut all ties with him.
Josef Fritzl went to great lengths to conceal his crimes, convincing his wife that his daughter Elisabeth had run away. He even forged letters from Elisabeth to make it appear as if she had chosen to leave.
He wants a cellar when he gets out
Elisabeth, whom he had been abusing since the age of 11, disappeared in 1984 when she was 18 years old. For over two decades, Fritzl imprisoned his daughter in a cramped, damp, and mold-infested cellar beneath his home in Amstetten, Austria— a place he had specifically constructed for this horrific purpose.
Elisabeth’s ordeal came to an end in 2008 when one of the children, Kerstin, fell seriously ill, prompting Elisabeth to contact the outside world for help. A neighbor helped to alert authorities, and the police rescued Elisabeth and her children.
In a shocking revelation to Daily Mail in January, his lawyer, Ms. Wagner, shared: ”I went to see Mr. Fritzl in prison […], and he keeps talking about wanting to be in a house when he gets out of prison, and he has made very, very clear it has to have a cellar.”
She continued, ”He says he wants a cellar because he has so many things he needs to store. Of course, he’s been transferred from a high-security to a standard prison, but he still has all his things which he has collected over the years.”
”I’m talking about loads and loads of files and folders. This is why he said his new place absolutely has to have a cellar.”
What do you think? Should someone like Josef Fritzl ever be allowed to re-enter the world, especially with such delusions still intact? His lawyer’s comments suggest a disturbing lack of accountability or remorse. Is it possible to truly rehabilitate someone like Josef Fritzl, or are there certain crimes so heinous that release should never be an option?
Let us know your thoughts — can society ever forgive him, or should he remain behind bars forever?
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