Fritzl Pleads Guilty To All Charges In Incest Case

ST. POELTEN, Austria — Josef Fritzl has pleaded guilty to all of the charges against him — including homicide — at his incest-imprisonment trial in Austria.

Fritzl told a court in St. Poelten, west of Vienna, that he had a change of heart and decided to acknowledge his guilt in the death of one of the seven children he fathered with his captive daughter.

Fritzl told the judge and jury: “I plead guilty to all the charges in the indictment.”

It was a surprise development on the third day of Fritzl’s trial. Officials had said verdicts would come on Thursday, and it was not immediately clear if Fritzl’s new pleas would speed up the process.

Fritzl faces up to life imprisonment on the homicide count. He was also charged with rape, enslavement, false imprisonment and coercion.