What happens now

Boy (3) tortured to death: protocol of horror

An eerie silence prevailed in and outside the apartment building after the tragedy.(Bild: ZOOM Tirol)

According to the murder charge, Elias (3) was tortured to death by his parents. The details from the public prosecutor's office in Innsbruck mercilessly reveal what was done to the boy. The defense is still considering whether to appeal. The "Krone" spoke to the father's lawyer. 

It is hard to put into words what three-year-old Elias had to endure in his short life. It is even harder to comprehend how such cruel torture could have been inflicted on the little boy. He finally died of malnutrition on May 19, 2024.

The parents - both 27 years old - were quickly targeted by the investigators. They were consequently arrested and have been in custody in Innsbruck prison ever since. On Tuesday, the public prosecutor's office then announced that it had brought murder charges against the mother and father. In the course of this, they revealed more details than ever before - and they are almost unbeatable in terms of cruelty. A protocol of horror.

• According to the public prosecutor, the parents allegedly beat Elias with a wooden spoon, tied his hands and feet with cable ties and partially blindfolded him.

• "They also tied him to the taps of the sink in the toilet and locked him up for hours in complete darkness."

• According to the indictment, the parents hung the three-year-old from the shower fixture in the bathroom, showered him with ice-cold or very hot water and taped his mouth to stop him from crying.

• "Gradually, they stopped dressing him, locked him in a drawer naked or wearing only a diaper and left him there in his own excrement for 22 hours a day, sometimes for a week straight."

• The mother and father are said to have let Elias sleep unclothed on the slatted frame without a mattress, deliberately malnourished him and provided him with insufficient fluids.

"According to the shocking results of the investigation, the parents abused the child mentally and physically in the most cruel way," emphasizes Hansjörg Mayr, spokesman for the public prosecutor's office in Innsbruck, "they isolated him from the rest of family life and locked him away, completely dehumanized, humiliated and frightened him."

94 centimetres tall and weighing 7 kilograms
"Elias succumbed to his ordeal alone in the dark and undressed. He died as a result of severe malnutrition and dehydration. At the time of the autopsy, his body weight was just over 7 kilograms with a height of 94 centimeters - not even half the expected body weight of a three year and three month old male child," Mayr describes.

The parents abused the child mentally and physically in the most cruel way. They dehumanized, humiliated and frightened him.

Hansjörg Mayr, Sprecher der Staatsanwaltschaft

Bild: Christof Birbaumer

Elias was one of four children of the two defendants. He had a twin sister, a five-year-old sister and a two-year-old sister. According to the murder charge, the family lived in a financially strained situation, very secluded and had little contact with the parents of the accused father.

Escape into a mystical illusory and fantasy world
But the record of horror continues:

• Because of the difficult life situation, the parents apparently took refuge in a constructed, mystical illusory or fantasy world, according to which a demon stuck in the little boy's body was responsible for their predicament and would control the fate of the family. This demon had to be weakened and destroyed. The judiciary assumes that the parents created an outlet for themselves to vent and act out their sadistic tendencies.

• "In WhatsApp chats and emails, the defendants discussed the abuse and encouraged each other that the boy must be destroyed. The parents filmed some of the three-year-old's torment and watched it live on a surveillance camera."

Why did no one ever find out about the horror scenarios? The spokesperson: "To prevent the father's parents from suspecting what was happening to their grandson, the father and the boy's three siblings continued to visit the paternal grandparents and made excuses when asked about the boy's whereabouts."

"Despite the disturbance, the parents were sane"
Are the parents confessing? "Yes, the child's mother explained the actions with the demon living in the boy," emphasizes the spokesperson and adds: "The child's father has declared that he has confessed and regrets what happened, but otherwise he has not made any statements."

According to the prosecution, the parents had a personality disorder with sadistic traits according to a psychiatric expert report, "but they were sane", Mayr said - and continued: "We assume that the parents wanted to kill their son as painfully as possible. In addition to the offenses of torturing and neglecting a minor and deprivation of liberty, they are therefore also charged with the crime of murder."

Placement in center requested for mother
If found guilty, the parents face up to life imprisonment. As the mother of the child is at risk of committing a similar crime again in a similar situation due to her personality disorder, the public prosecutor's office has applied for her to be placed in a forensic therapy center in addition to being punished.

The charges can still be appealed within 14 days. A date for the trial before the jury court has therefore not yet been set. The parents are presumed innocent.

Horror auf 24 Seiten

„Anklage noch nicht rechtskräftig“

With regard to the mother of the child, the public prosecutor's office has applied for her to be placed in a forensic therapy center in addition to punishment. Why not the same for the father? "The psychiatrist who drew up the expert opinion made subtle distinctions here. The disorder should therefore be more present in the mother," explains public prosecutor's office spokesperson Mayr.

The murder charge can be appealed within 14 days. How realistic is that? "It was clear that it would be a murder charge and the parents have confessed. But the defense has to provide information here," says the spokesman.

The 24-page indictment is not yet legally binding. The defense is now examining it and a possible appeal.

Matthias Holzmann, Verteidiger des Vaters

Bild: Chantal Dorn

Matthias Holzmann, the father's defence lawyer, however, emphasizes to the "Krone": "The murder charge is not yet legally binding. The defense is now examining it and a possible appeal. I can't say any more about this at the moment." Holzmann speaks of a "very extensive indictment". It consists of 24 pages.

As soon as the 14-day period is over, or if both lawyers inform the court that they have no objection, a date will be set for the trial before the jury.