Infamous Incest Rapist Josef Fritzl Won't Get Out of Prison Despite Dementia, Court Rules: Here's Why By Liam Quinn

The Austrian man who held his daughter captive in his basement and had seven children with her over the course of 24 years has been denied release.

Josef Fritzl, 90, is serving a life sentence after his 2009 conviction for incest, rape, coercion, false imprisonment, enslavement and negligent homicide for the death of one of his infant children, Reuters previously reported.

After he spent 15 years in a prison unit for the criminally insane, Fritzl was moved to a normal prison in 2024, the Austria Press Agency reported. The transfer allowed him to apply for release, which his lawyer reportedly did in August.

The APA, citing Fritzl’s lawyer Astrid Wagner, reported that the Krems Regional Court denied his motion.

“In my opinion, the reasoning is flawed,” Wagner told the agency. “I will therefore contest this decision.”

According to the report, Wagner has argued that Fritzl has progressive dementia and should be moved to a dementia center, which she said is “a better place than prison.”

The court ruled, according to the APA, that Fritzl still has aggression toward his family as part of his delusions and that him posing a threat can not be ruled out.

Fritzl held his daughter Elisabeth prisoner in the basement of their family home beginning when she was 18, The New York Times reported in 2008.

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He fathered seven children with his daughter, including three who stayed with Elisabeth in the basement. Three other children were fostered by Fritzl and his wife. The seventh child died shortly after birth.

Authorities reportedly discovered the abuse when Elisabeth and her eldest child needed medical attention.

The Times reported that Fritzl’s wife was unaware of the abuse and had believed her daughter had joined a cult and had to give up her children.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.