The Austrian father who held his daughter captive in a cellar for 24 years and fathered a total of seven children with her was convicted of homicide, rape, incest, and other charges today. He will be sentenced to life in a psychiatric ward. The New York Times has more. You can view previous coverage of this case here. From the Associated Press:
Fritzl, 73, sat calmly and bowed his head as the verdicts were read. He later told the court he accepted the outcome and waived his right to appeal — bringing a dramatic end to a shocking case that has drawn worldwide attention.
Court spokesman Franz Cutka said Fritzl would be taken to a secure psychiatric ward for mentally deranged criminals.
The homicide count — "murder by neglect" in German — was the most serious of the charges against 73-year-old Fritzl, and the jury gave him the maximum punishment allowed by law.
Officials said Fritzl would not be eligible for parole for at least 15 years, and psychiatric experts would have to concur with any decision to free him. He will also have to pay court costs. The 11 months Fritzl already has spent in pretrial detention will count toward his parole.
The other charges included false imprisonment and coercion. Fritzl had changed his stance and pleaded guilty Wednesday to all counts against him after he and the court viewed 11 hours of emotional videotaped testimony by his daughter, Elisabeth, whom he locked in a dungeon when she was 18.
"I regret it with all my heart ... I can't make it right anymore," Fritzl told the court Thursday, hours before the verdicts were announced.
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