ST. POELTEN, Austria — The woman who bore seven children through incest and was allegedly locked in a squalid dungeon for 24 years confronted her father in a videotape shown in court today — testimony that could send him to prison for life.
Josef Fritzl, 73, again hid his face behind a blue binder and stayed silent as he was led into the court in St. Poelten, west of Vienna, for the second day of his trial.
Fritzl has pleaded guilty to incest with his daughter Elisabeth and false imprisonment, but is contesting negligent homicide and enslavement charges against him and has acknowledged only partial guilt on rape and coercion charges.
Jurors, Fritzl and the rest of the court today viewed videotaped testimony from Elisabeth, the key witness against Fritzl. Now 42, she was 18 when he allegedly imprisoned her in the cramped, windowless cell he built beneath the family’s home in Amstetten.
Those in court also saw videotaped testimony from Harald, one of Elisabeth’s brothers, court spokesman Franz Cutka told The Associated Press.
Fritzl has been charged with homicide in the death of an infant — a male twin born to Elisabeth in April 1996 — who prosecutors say might have survived with proper medical care had he and his mother not been locked in the basement.
Police say DNA tests prove Fritzl is the biological father of all six of Elisabeth’s surviving children, three of whom never saw daylight until the crime came to light and shocked the world 11 months ago.
Cutka said Fritzl responded to questions from the judge and prosecutors about different points as they came up in the testimony from both his daughter and son. He declined to provide more details.
Fritzl could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted of homicide. He faces up to 20 years behind bars if found guilty of enslavement, up to 15 for a rape conviction, and one year for an incest conviction.
Reporters were not allowed into the courtroom this morning, and were expected to remain excluded until shortly before the verdict, which could come as early as Thursday.
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