Feb 9, 2026, 4:59 p.mFeb 9, 2026, 4:59 p.m
In Austria, the parents of a starved three-year-old were sentenced to life in prison for murder, torture and deprivation of liberty.
According to a forensic doctor, the boy only weighed four kilograms when he died, as the APA news agency reported from the trial in the Innsbruck regional court.
According to the judgment, which has not yet been finalized, the mother will be sent to a center for mentally disturbed criminals, said a spokeswoman for the regional court in Innsbruck in the state of Tyrol.
The little boy starved and died of thirst in May 2024 in the Kufstein district in the state of Tyrol. “The child had an old man’s face, the body was just skin and bones,” said the forensic pathologist.
Prosecutor: Child suffered “torture from hell”
The child suffered “hellish torment” for months, the prosecutor said. It was locked in a dark room, tied up, beaten and barely given any food.
The prosecution is based on chat messages and emails between father and mother as well as photos and video recordings that the now 27-year-old parents took of the abuse. The defendants repeatedly encouraged each other in the news and made fun of their suffering son, the prosecutor said.
Siblings had to witness their brother’s suffering
The parents confessed to the crimes, as the APA further reported. The father told the court he had no explanation for what he did. According to the defendant, he regrets and is sorry that his other children witnessed their brother’s suffering and death. The couple has three daughters.
The mother did not comment further on the allegations. Her defense attorney explained that she was mentally overwhelmed after several, sometimes unwanted, pregnancies. A forensic psychiatrist testified that the woman had a serious mental disorder. The mother saw the boy as a culprit for her situation. The father “got into” this story, said the expert. (hkl/sda/dpa)