In a new plea for release, Josef Fritzl, infamous for committing heinous crimes, now cites dementia as a reason why he should be considered safe for society. Fritzl, who was convicted in 2009 for a range of offenses including murder, enslavement, rape, and incest after confining his daughter in a cellar for 24 years, has submitted a request for early parole.
The application was filed by his defense attorney, Astrid Wagner, at Krems Regional Court in Lower Austria, asserting that Fritzl meets all the necessary criteria for release. Recent psychiatric evaluations suggest that Fritzl’s dementia has subdued his personality disorder, deeming him no longer a threat. Having served well beyond the minimum 15-year term for his life sentence, Wagner contends that Fritzl is prepared for release after appropriate arrangements.
Since May 2024, Fritzl has been serving his sentence in a regular prison after being transferred from a secure psychiatric facility. Despite a previous denial of conditional release, Wagner is advocating for Fritzl’s relocation to a facility that can assist in his reintegration into society, citing his lack of familiarity with modern technology and long-term institutionalization.
Wagner highlights Fritzl’s deteriorating dementia, which leads him to believe in peculiar delusions such as receiving secret signals from Donald Trump and misinterpreting applause on TV shows. Despite maintaining fair physical health, Fritzl’s cognitive state has led him to live in a world of fantasy and altered perceptions.