Austrian man pleads guilty to incest charges

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Source: CCTV.com | 03-16-2009 20:11

The Austrian man accused of imprisoning his daughter for 24 years and fathering her seven children has pleaded guilty to incest charges.

Austria's house of horrors. Elisabeth Fritzl, her  father Josef, and the basement where she was kept.

Josef Fritzl cowered behind a folder as a judge began the proceedings under heavy security. He made the plea shortly after his trial started. But the 73-year-old suspect entered not guilty pleas on related charges of murder and enslavement.

One of the children he fathered with his daughter died in infancy while in captivity. Prosecutors charged Fritzl with murder, saying the baby might have survived if Fritzl had arranged for medical care. He faces up to life imprisonment if convicted of murder. A verdict is expected Friday.