Innsbruck, Austria – An Austrian couple has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder and torture of their three-year-old son, Elias, after a case that has shocked the nation and drawn international attention. The sentences were handed down on , by a court in Innsbruck, according to reports from the Austrian press agency APA.
The couple, both aged 27, were found guilty of inflicting prolonged and brutal abuse on Elias, who weighed just four kilograms – the weight of a four-month-old infant – when he died in . Prosecutors detailed a harrowing pattern of abuse that included starvation, dehydration, physical violence, and prolonged isolation.
The investigation revealed that Elias was subjected to months of torture, including being locked in a dark room, tied up, beaten with a wooden spoon, and deprived of food and water. He was reportedly confined to a drawer for up to 22 hours a day. The abuse culminated in his death from severe malnutrition and dehydration.
According to court testimony, the parents displayed a disturbing lack of empathy and, in some instances, appeared to derive amusement from their son’s suffering. The father confessed to the charges and expressed regret, while the mother, described as psychologically overwhelmed, remained largely unresponsive during the proceedings.
The case took a particularly disturbing turn with revelations that the couple believed their son was possessed by a demon. This belief, prosecutors argued, fueled the severity and duration of the abuse. The couple reportedly documented the abuse, taking photographs and videos of Elias’s suffering, and sharing details in messaging apps.
Prosecutor Verena Pezzei described the case as unprecedented in Austrian legal history, stating that the level of cruelty inflicted upon the child was unlike anything she had encountered. “The child had the face of an elderly person, and the body was just skin and bones,” a forensic medical expert told the court, highlighting the devastating physical consequences of the prolonged starvation.
The couple also has three daughters, aged one, three, and six. Authorities have removed the daughters from the parents’ care and placed them in foster homes. Investigators found no evidence of malnutrition in the daughters, but confirmed that Elias was deliberately singled out for abuse and deprivation.
The parents’ actions extended beyond physical abuse. They allegedly isolated Elias from his family, subjecting him to verbal humiliation and intimidation. On one occasion, just two days before Elias’s death, the couple took their other children to a McDonald’s restaurant and a medieval festival, leaving Elias alone at home.
The couple moved to a flat in Ebse, Kufstein, in , three years before Elias’s death. Neighbors reportedly had limited interaction with the family and were unaware of the abuse taking place inside their home.
The mother has been referred to a center for psychologically disturbed criminals, while the father’s sentence is subject to appeal. The Innsbruck Regional Court ordered both parents to life imprisonment, acknowledging mitigating factors such as their confession and lack of prior criminal record, but ultimately determining that the aggravating factors – the extreme brutality and prolonged nature of the abuse – outweighed them.
The case has sparked widespread outrage in Austria and beyond, prompting calls for greater vigilance in protecting vulnerable children. The investigation revealed that the couple was experiencing financial hardship at the time of the abuse, which may have contributed to their distorted beliefs and violent behavior. However, authorities emphasize that financial difficulties do not excuse the horrific acts committed against Elias.
Hansjörg Mayr, a spokesman for the Innsbruck prosecutor’s office, stated that the investigation revealed the parents engaged in “psychological and physical violence against their child in the most horrific ways,” and that they “isolated the boy from the rest of the family, treated him inhumanely, humiliated and intimidated him.”
