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Josef Fritzl, sex offender who locked up his daughter for 24 years, could be eligible for parole
An Austrian man who locked his daughter in a basement for 24 years and fathered seven children with her could apply for early release — 15 years after he was sentenced to life in prison for those crimes, according to Reuters.
Josef Fritzl, now 88, was sentenced to life in prison in 2009 after pleading guilty in Austrian court to incest, rape, coercion, false imprisonment and enslavement, along with negligent homicide in the death of one of his infant sons.
His daughter, Elisabeth Fritzl, had been first locked in the family’s basement when she was 18 years old.
According to the Associated Press, he told the court at his 2009 sentencing that “I regret it with all my heart…I can’t make it right anymore.”
Under the country’s laws, prisoners sentenced to life can apply for parole after serving 15 years behind bars, making Fritzl eligible this year.
Now in a unit for the criminally insane, he could be transferred to prison, where he could apply for release, an official told Reuters Tuesday.
AP Photo/Robert Jaeger
His lawyer, Astrid Wagner, told Sky News that if he were released, she hopes to move him to a nursing home.
The situation came to light when Elisabeth’s oldest child, a then 19-year-old woman, was hospitalized with a severe infection in April 2008. Doctors, unable to find medical records for the woman, appealed on TV for her mother to come forward.
Fritzl, according to the AP, then accompanied Elisabeth to the hospital, where he subsequently told police that he had fathered seven children with her, telling his lawyer at the time, “I’m only being portrayed as a monster and not as someone who committed monstrous acts.”
Fritzl eventually confessed to police he had fathered seven children with Elisabeth. Three were kept in the basement, while he and his wife raised three of the children.
The remains of a seventh child, who died shortly after birth, were burnt in the house furnace, per Reuters.
The horrific story would later inspire a 2021 Hollywood movie “Girl in the Basement.”
Authorities in Austria had announced plans in 2011 to demolish the house where Elisabeth was kept, but those were not carried out. Instead, the basement was filled with concrete in 2013 and sold, according to BBC News.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Shohei Ohtani becomes first player in major league history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a season
Shohei Ohtani became the first major league player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season, with the Los Angeles Dodgers star going deep twice to reach the half-century mark and swiping two bags to get to 51 against the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
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Ohtani hit his 50th homer in the seventh inning, an opposite-field, two-run shot to left against Marlins reliever Mike Baumann. One inning earlier, he hit his 49th, launching a 1-1 slider from George Soriano 438 feet to the second deck in right-center.
He took care of the stolen bases earlier in the game, swiping his 50th in the first and his 51st in the second.
The Japanese star led off the game with double against Edward Cabrera and swiped third on the front end of a double steal with Freddie Freeman, who reached on a walk.
Ohtani has been successful on his last 28 stolen base attempts.
He reached the milestone in his 150th game. Ohtani was already the sixth player in major league history and the fastest ever to reach 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season, needing just 126 games.
Ohtani’s previous career high in homers was 46 for the Los Angeles Angels in 2021, when he also made 23 starts on the mound and won his first of two AL MVP awards.
Manager Dave Roberts said before Thursday’s game that he noticed Ohtani getting more aggressive on the bases in the second half of the season.
“I also think that Shohei realized how good of a base stealer he has become or can become,” Roberts said. “I think he likes the challenge of studying pitchers and learning the tendencies. I think that’s something that intrigues him.”
Ohtani’s previous career high for steals was 26, also in 2021. He has not pitched this season while recovering from elbow surgery, allowing him to focus his attention on batting and baserunning as the Dodgers’ everyday designated hitter.
