It is quite wrong on the side of this father who is not clearing himself as a father. He is nothing but a psycho. His acts are clearly evident of his mindset. If the lawyer wants to plead on the plea of this person he have to say that Mr.Fritzl is mad. He is not in regular mindset. he is ill of hes mind. only this will save him from death sentense. but it is not correct on the side of a poor lady (his daughter). As per me he must be hanged and his all properties as well as income must be transtered to the daughter. I pray the god that this worst person must be hanged.

I dont see the need for such a harrowing experience,for journalists to sit through the entire testimony.The guys admitted to all charges and has just a few more years to live,so what sense does a 150 year jail term make,his hell will be delivered to him when he dies,perhaps Austrian law should be revised to give him a dose of what he subjected his daughter to,rather than be so diplomatic with a murderer and rapist,he isnt even shackled,and dressed in a suit????
Ridiculous!

Firtzl's Daughter shold forgive her father for doing that to her for GOD sake we are all to forgive cos God forgives us.

Now that she have her freedom back let her forgive, my simperty.

ewww this is so gross why would someone even do that!!!!!!!!!! i feel bad for the daughter

Larry,
For a man who could do this for 24 yrs to his own daughter is not human to me. He should not be pardoned on any rounds. I think he should be given death ASAP. He is a disgrace to the society and people and the values of human kind. There is no difference in him and a dog. He will never be spared in HELL. Has anyone thought about the pain and sufferings for 24 yrs which can never be undone. Please do not send him to a hospital authorities, he needs to be exceuted. We need to set an example that this kind of things are not normal. He is not sick, he very well knows what he was doing.
Don't waste the country resources on him by keeping him in a institute and feeding him. He needs to die for what he has done.

The artist sounds like a Fritzl in the making...own mix of "satisfaction" with a bunch of undressed dolls... That old hag must be on some serious drug abuse....if not how can someone be so cold ????

This is just a horrrible tragedy what has happened to these children

This man should be held in an underground windowless dungeon for the remainder of his ungrateful life. He should be repeatedly raped and the horrible things that he has done to his poor family should be done to him. DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO TO YOU.

This is very bad but killing is never the answer. As much as it seems he deserves this it is not a good punishment to kill him. I give my best to his daughter and hope she never has to go through that again.

My heart really goes out to the daughter and her children but I just can't understand how something didn't happen for 24 years. Did any of the upstairs family ever wonder what was down stairs. From upstairs or downstairs, could sounds not be heard ? Did Elizabeth ever try to escape ? I don't want to know all the sordid details – I would just like to know how and why this poor girl went through this for so long.

I suspect his life expectancy in prison will be deservedly short. Then will come his final Judgement and justice will be done for all eternity. Please have no curiosity about the daughter and the children for they will have a lifetime to attempt to forget these crimes. Give them the kindness that they deserve.

She should FORGIVE him? Are you high? You forgive someone for accidentally rearending you with your car. You forgive someone for bumping into you in a crowded hallway. But your father keeps you prisoner in a basement for 24 years, raping you repeatedly and ultimately siring seven children–some of whom had never actually seen sunlight–I would hope that even God would understand if you held a little grudge.

The artist was showing most likely, how you cannot get sexual satisfaction on a backdrop of modern or classical Austrian/Saxon/Germanic culture, for it is rather classical about sex, so this man, who wanted sex with a younger woman, did the wrong thing, and harmed many little children. I think the artist was reflecting exactly what the scene there is all about, Classical restrictions, need for satisfaction being so strong, as to cause harm to babies and little girls. Sounds like good art to me. Sounds smart.

I hope the media can quell their thirst for knowledge on this one and let them be. I have a feeling there will be one who will not, there always is. To that person I implore you to think about their plight and the horrors they have faced. Do you really want to bring that to light and have them relive such a torturous existence? I certainly hope not. If you are apathetic about it remember-what goes around comes around. The karma will come back to you ten fold.

I think he should be hanged to set an example, and not sent to a hospital because after what he has done he deserves it.

I wonder if the children had testified? And if they haven't, did they choose not to? I feel that he is not human, what was going through his mind when this was happening? Does he have any remorse at all? or was his apology simply an apology to make people think he was sorry? I believe he should be faced with the same imprisionment that he held upon his daughter, I don't believe he should be killed, that's just inhumane. He should however receive the punishments that he emraced upon his daughter.
That is when it will become a true punishment. He knows that if he doesn't go to prison, he'll be killed, and that he's safe there. Lock him in a cellar.

There is no forgiveness for this horror of a human.

The death penalty would be too quick and easy - better for him to suffer in jail for the rest of his life, though it will never come close to the horror he inflicted.

There is at least a little comfort in the fact that the daughter got to testify against the monster.

It is times like these where we need to impose the death penalty or an exception of a long life of torture. This SOB is a disgrace to humanity and no longer needs to walk among us. The pain and suffering brought to his daughter alone should be enough to impose death. Along with his daughter, the children too, have to live the rest of their lives remembering everything. I cannot possibly begin to understand how any person could do this to another human being.

This is just a sad story and I think that family deserves to be left alone to try and live the normal life they deserve.
thoughs poor kids I greive for them.

I believe that he should suffer in prison because what he knowingly did to his daughter is harsh even Cinderella would not stand such. Imagine your own father being your so-called lover for 24years repeatedly raping you and you being the mother of his children

This man really lacks humanity, and from my point of view he deserves his sentence. If they are to institutionalise him in a hospital it just encourages the rest of the other monsters that are still out there to do such a thing.
When is it ever right to have sex with your daughter?????? Shit aint right..Yeah I said it the shit aint right..

I mean i'm even getting angry now to come think of it.

I know this comment is late, but I'm doing some research on incest/rape cases, and I cannot go without saying something about this story..............forgive him????????????? ARE YOU SERIOUS?????? Anyone who does something like this should be CASTRATED first, then do to him what he did to his daughter and those children for the rest of his disgusting life!!!!!!!! A taste of hell on earth is what he deserves! Why waste money on medical/psych treatment, occupying space in prison, and food to keep this demon alive ???!!! Think of not only the physical abuse, but also the mental abuse he did to all of them. None of those children or his daughter will be 'right' in the head, and be able to live a 'normal' life. ALSO.......I agree with other comments about WHY DIDN'T ANYONE ELSE IN THAT FAMILY UPSTAIRS KNOW????????!!!!! I don't believe that!! Even if he sound proofed the room, he would have to make it air tight too and "pipe in" air to his slaves. Didn't anyone ever wonder "hmmm, what's behind that strange little door?" You can't tell me someone in that house didn't hear a single noise EVER. I can hear noises (people yelling, banging things) THROUGH my insulated, brick house from at least a block away! The other family members should be questioned and prosecuted too if they knew what was going on.

There is only one group that I can think of that were ever this heartless and that is the Nazis. Considering that he is Austrian, his complete and total lack of sympathy or compassion could very well be due to what was expected at the time. Remember, there was no room for human emotion in the reich, and that kind of attitude doesnt just disappear overnight. Part of Hitler's legacy is turning an entire generation of German people into heartless, cold blooded, automatic killing machines. I'm not siding with this guy at all I swear, I think they need to lock him up and throw away the key, but his current attitude looks like a reflection of the attitude of the citizens and soldiers of Hitler's Germany. It would make even more sense if someone in his family had been in service to Hitler. Especially if it were someone he admired, then he would have been eager to emulate this horrible emotional limbo. Again, I'm not taking up for this guy, I just thought it was an interesting theory. Oh and BTW, I know a couple of smart-asses are going to try to make me look stupid if I don't clarify this...I know that he's Austrian and I know that Austria is a different country from Germany. What's the point of this? Someone is bound to try to be smart and say "Well, how can he be considered part of Hitler's Germany if he's Austrian?". Hitler annexed Austria in 1938, which made it part of Hitler's Germany.

this man needs to rot in hell for eternity

For the people that say the daughter needs to forgive because God forgave us I feel are wrong I think there are somethings even God can not forgive. I tried for years to forgive my father but what he did is unforgivable. I hope and pray that the daughter and family get help for what they weny thru. It will be something they have to learn to deal and live with the rest of their lives. It will never completeley be gone from their lives.