Court exteriors, arrivals as trial enters second day

(17 Mar 2009) An Austrian man who fathered seven children with a daughter he held captive in a squalid cellar for 24 years appeared in a St Poelten court, west of Vienna on Tuesday morning, as the trial entered its second day. The 73-year-old pleaded guilty to incest and false imprisonment, but only partially guilty to charges of coercion and rape. He pleaded not guilty to murder by neglect and enslavement. Jury members arrived at a courthouse in St Poelten, 40 miles (65 kilometres) west of Vienna, where they will view video testimony from Josef Fritzl's daughter, Elisabeth, officials said on Tuesday. Fritzl pleaded guilty on Monday to incest and false imprisonment, but he denied charges of enslavement and murder. He pleaded only partially guilty to additional counts of rape and coercion. Fritzl shielded his face from the cameras with a blue folder as he was led into the courtroom on Monday, a move one St. Poelten resident said was: "cowardly." Authorities say Fritzl imprisoned and repeatedly raped his daughter for 24 years in a cramped and windowless dungeon he built beneath the family's home in the western town of Amstetten. Investigators say DNA tests show he fathered her six surviving children. Another child died in infancy and that prompted the murder charge. Prosecutors contend the two year old baby boy might have survived if Fritzl had arranged for medical care. Three of the youngsters grew up in the underground cellar in the town of Amstetten, west of Vienna, never seeing daylight. The other three were brought upstairs to be raised by Fritzl and his wife, Rosemarie, who was led to believe they had been abandoned by Elisabeth when she ran off to join a cult. Fritzl faces up to life in prison if convicted of the negligent homicide charge, Incest, by contrast, carries only a one-year sentence. A verdict could come as early as Thursday, officials said. He could face up to 20 years behind bars if convicted of enslavement and up to 15 for a rape conviction. The conviction with the highest penalty will determine the length of the sentence. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/faf12dfa45573daaf117dc8493e91507 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork