00:00:06
-In May 1990, a convicted
killer was released
00:00:09
from a prison in Austria,
00:00:11
having only served 15 years
and 4 months behind bars.
00:00:15
His name --
Jack Unterweger.
00:00:18
-A brutal killer
who is now going to embark on
00:00:23
what I think is one of the most
horrifying killing sprees
00:00:27
in modern European history.
00:00:28
-A masterful manipulator,
00:00:31
Unterweger was living the double
life of a celebrated writer
00:00:35
and that of
a serial killer.
00:00:37
Once released from prison,
he went on to kill nine women,
00:00:41
and was suspected of a further
two in just over a year.
00:00:46
-He possessed what one calls
"the charm of a psychopath."
00:00:50
-The style was
completely different.
00:00:52
It was absolute brutality
and bursts of violence.
00:00:55
-His victims all died
in the same way,
00:00:58
each strangled
using the same knot.
00:01:01
-You are face-to-face
with them.
00:01:03
You are seeing the life
drain out of them.
00:01:05
You can choose to stop.
00:01:07
You can choose
to carry on.
00:01:09
-In public, he was
the poster boy of prison reform
00:01:12
in Austria,
who transformed from murderer
00:01:15
to model citizen.
00:01:17
But little did
his supporters know
00:01:19
that Jack Unterweger was leading
a double life and was,
00:01:23
in fact, one of the world's
most evil killers.
00:01:27
♪♪
00:01:32
♪♪
00:01:37
♪♪
00:01:47
In June 1976,
25-year-old Jack Unterweger
00:01:52
was found guilty by court
in Salzburg, Austria,
00:01:56
of the brutal murder
of a young German woman.
00:02:00
Unterweger confessed.
00:02:02
He was sentenced to life.
00:02:05
However, Unterweger served
just over 15 years.
00:02:09
He was released in May 1990,
and only a few months later,
00:02:14
prostitutes started
to disappear.
00:02:17
For the next 10 months,
00:02:19
Unterweger went on a killing
spree across Austria,
00:02:23
the former Czechoslovakia,
and even the United States.
00:02:29
Unterweger was suspected
of murdering 11 women,
00:02:33
but was convicted
of just nine.
00:02:37
-I'm absolutely astounded
at the fact that
00:02:40
Unterweger was released
from prison many,
00:02:43
many years before
he should have been.
00:02:46
People like Unterweger
can change.
00:02:48
They can change in prison,
00:02:50
if they acknowledge that
what they've done is wrong,
00:02:52
and if they undertake work
to address those traits
00:02:55
and those behaviors
that lead them
00:02:57
to the decision
to harm others.
00:02:59
But he didn't go through
that process at all.
00:03:02
-He was,
without question,
00:03:04
perverted,
depraved killing machine.
00:03:08
And I can think of very few --
probably less than 20 --
00:03:12
who would deserve
comparison with him.
00:03:14
It's an extraordinary story,
and one which sends a shiver
00:03:17
down my spine
every time I tell it.
00:03:21
-In 1975, during the trial
of his first murder,
00:03:25
Unterweger was assessed
by a psychiatrist.
00:03:28
He was diagnosed
as an extremely dangerous,
00:03:32
unpredictable,
and incurable individual.
00:03:36
The report stated
he demonstrated egocentricity,
00:03:40
aggressiveness,
and sexual perversion
00:03:43
with a sadistic component.
00:03:46
-Psychopaths are people
who feel and behave
00:03:48
and relate to others
in ways that are different
00:03:51
from the rest of us.
00:03:53
The way that I often
describe psychopathy is,
00:03:55
it's a form of
emotional emptiness.
00:03:58
So, there aren't
that complex range of emotions
00:04:01
that the rest of us have,
like love and guilt and regret.
00:04:04
It is quite black and white
for psychopaths --
00:04:06
"I want this
particular thing,
00:04:08
and I'm going to not stop
until I've got it."
00:04:12
-Dr. Reinhard Haller
is a leading psychiatrist
00:04:16
in Austria
who worked on the case.
00:04:18
Studying the first murder,
it was clear to him
00:04:21
that Unterweger was
an exceptionally callous killer.
00:04:25
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:04:28
-[ Translated ] This was
a highly sadistic murder,
00:04:30
in which he abducted this girl
who was walking home
00:04:32
on an extremely cold
winter's night.
00:04:36
He drove her, naked,
through the forest,
00:04:38
with a steel rod
in his hand,
00:04:40
taking great delight in her
impending death from exposure,
00:04:44
but ultimately,
strangled her with her bra.
00:04:47
It was an incredibly vicious,
an incredibly sadistic moment.
00:04:51
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:04:56
-The extraordinary story
of this sadistic killer
00:04:59
begins nearly 70 years ago.
00:05:03
Johann "Jack" Unterweger
was born on the 16th of August,
00:05:07
1950, in Judenburg in Styria,
southern Austria.
00:05:12
He was the illegitimate son
of a waitress
00:05:15
and an American soldier
who left before Jack was born.
00:05:19
His mother spent
short spells in jail,
00:05:22
and when Jack
was 2 years old,
00:05:24
he was placed into the care
of his grandfather.
00:05:27
According to Unterweger,
00:05:29
his childhood
was far from ideal.
00:05:33
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:05:36
-[ Translated ] Jack Unterweger
clearly had issues.
00:05:40
He grew up
without a father.
00:05:42
His mother,
over the years,
00:05:43
developed a serious
alcohol problem.
00:05:48
Due to this, little Jack
grew up in a hut in Carinthia
00:05:51
with his grandfather,
00:05:54
and was exposed to many things
a child should not see.
00:06:03
-He's also learning things
about women
00:06:05
from his grandfather,
who was a notorious philanderer.
00:06:09
He's learning that women
are there to be used
00:06:11
and abused and discarded.
00:06:12
So, that's something
that's ingrained in him
00:06:14
from quite an early age.
00:06:17
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:06:18
-[ Translated ] He also saw his
grandfather bringing his lovers,
00:06:21
or rather, prostitutes,
to this hut again and again,
00:06:26
and the 4-year-old boy witnessed
their sexual activities
00:06:29
and much more.
00:06:30
And so, there was this negative
impact on his early years.
00:06:36
-In 1958, Unterweger left
his grandfather's home
00:06:40
and stayed with
some relatives.
00:06:42
Shortly after, he was placed in
the foster-care system.
00:06:46
-He didn't form those
attachments with his caregivers,
00:06:49
those consistent attachments
00:06:51
that provide
that secure environment
00:06:53
in which children can grow up
and feel safe and develop.
00:06:56
A child in this kind
of situation,
00:06:58
they become very, very focused
on their own survival.
00:07:03
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:07:05
-[ Translated ]
He almost inevitably fell into
00:07:07
this criminal role,
and showed this type of behavior
00:07:10
from a very early age.
00:07:12
He failed in his
compulsory education,
00:07:15
and he displayed delinquent
behavior in his youth.
00:07:22
-In December 1974,
now age 24,
00:07:26
Unterweger's desires
took a deadly turn.
00:07:29
He was traveling with his
girlfriend through Germany
00:07:32
when they drove past
a friend of hers,
00:07:35
18-year-old
Margaret Schafer.
00:07:37
They stopped
and robbed her,
00:07:39
driving to her parents' house
to rob them, too.
00:07:43
But the crimes
didn't stop there.
00:07:45
Unterweger took the 18-year-old
girl to a nearby wood
00:07:49
and ordered her
to undress.
00:07:52
He tied her up,
beat her with a steel rod,
00:07:55
and then strangled her
with her own bra.
00:07:59
-So, he sees
an opportunity here.
00:08:02
He sees this woman walking,
who his girlfriend knows.
00:08:05
There's an
opportunity there.
00:08:07
for him to
have control over somebody,
00:08:09
to manipulate them, and to do
what he wants with them.
00:08:13
-The police questioned
Unterweger's girlfriend,
00:08:16
and she confessed that
he had killed her friend.
00:08:19
Once in police custody,
00:08:21
Unterweger also confessed
to the killing,
00:08:24
claiming he had
a fit of rage.
00:08:30
On the 1st of June, 1976,
before his 26th birthday,
00:08:36
Unterweger began a life sentence
for the murder,
00:08:40
but this was far from
the end of his story.
00:08:44
-From being what could only
be described as a lowlife,
00:08:49
uneducated brute capable
of killing an 18-year-old,
00:08:54
he suddenly becomes
a changed man.
00:08:57
He teaches himself
to read and write properly,
00:09:01
and he begins
a very adventurous career
00:09:04
as a writer --
00:09:06
in fact, writes not one
but two best sellers.
00:09:09
He is very much
the model prisoner.
00:09:14
-Now that he could
read and write,
00:09:16
Unterweger spent time
in the prison library.
00:09:19
He was uneducated, but with
a large appetite for knowledge.
00:09:23
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:09:27
-[ Translated ]
One day, in the library,
00:09:28
he came across a book
00:09:29
by an author completely
unknown to him,
00:09:32
and he says to himself,
quite narcissistically,
00:09:35
"What he can do,
I can do, too."
00:09:40
And then, he began
to write stories,
00:09:41
and paradoxically, he wrote,
among other things,
00:09:44
these episodes
for a radio program
00:09:46
which was very popular among
children and families back then.
00:09:50
It was called "The Bedtime
Program for Little Ones:
00:09:53
The Little Sandman
is Coming."
00:09:57
This was such
a very idyllic, lovely,
00:10:00
comforting,
soporific program,
00:10:02
which I also listened to
as a child.
00:10:07
-Unterweger became famous
00:10:09
as the man
who wrote children's stories,
00:10:11
poetry, and prose
about life in prison.
00:10:15
His autobiography,
"Fegefeuer,"
00:10:17
meaning "Purgatory,"
00:10:19
became a best seller,
and was made into a film.
00:10:24
The Austrian literati
were delighted
00:10:26
to have discovered
someone like Jack Unterweger.
00:10:30
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:10:31
-[ Translated ]
Unterweger suddenly attracted
00:10:32
the attention
of the media.
00:10:34
People showed support
for his release.
00:10:37
These were people, some of
whom were very well-known,
00:10:40
like journalists
and artists,
00:10:42
who showed their support
for good reasons.
00:10:45
Let's say they had
good intention.
00:10:47
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:10:51
-[ Translated ]
The intellectuals said,
"Wonderful.
00:10:53
Finally, we have a criminal
who reformed himself,
00:10:56
who, as it were, confessed to
his actions through his writing
00:11:00
and processed them
therapeutically.
00:11:03
Such a person
can only be a good person."
00:11:08
And they fell for him.
00:11:09
They really fell for him.
00:11:14
-Austria at the time
was in the midst
00:11:16
of reforming
its prison services.
00:11:18
Jack Unterweger's newly found
literary prowess in prison
00:11:22
was just what
the reformers needed
00:11:25
to prove the new system
could be successful.
00:11:28
The calls for Unterweger's early
release grew louder and louder.
00:11:33
Intellectuals, artists,
writers, journalists,
00:11:36
and even politicians campaigned
for Unterweger to be free.
00:11:40
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:11:42
-[ Translated ] Now, there
was unbelievable pressure
00:11:43
for his release
at all costs,
00:11:47
and that's what
finally happened.
00:11:49
However, there were
voices who warned
00:11:51
that hiding behind this charming
and manipulative man
00:11:55
is a very dangerous,
malicious narcissist.
00:12:02
-On the 23rd of May, 1990,
39-year-old Jack Unterweger
00:12:07
was released from Stein Prison
in Lower Austria.
00:12:11
He had only served a little over
15 years of his life sentence
00:12:15
for strangling
an 18-year-old to death.
00:12:18
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:12:21
-[ Translated ] He was actually
released without any safeguards.
00:12:25
That means he
did not even have to go
00:12:27
to see his
probation officer,
00:12:29
or to a psychiatrist, where he
would have been treated further.
00:12:34
He was completely free.
00:12:38
-A brutal killer
who is now going to embark on
00:12:44
what I think is one of the most
horrifying killing sprees
00:12:48
in modern European history.
00:12:50
-Unterweger was given
a second chance
00:12:53
as a free man,
thanks to the campaigning
00:12:55
of Austria's artistic community
to release him.
00:12:59
Unterweger moved to Vienna,
00:13:01
where he mingled
with the rich and famous.
00:13:04
He played the role of the model
rehabilitated prisoner.
00:13:08
Unterweger
had them all fooled.
00:13:13
-Obviously,
the people who ran the prison
00:13:15
wanted to advocate
in their favor,
00:13:17
because it's a great
advertisement,
00:13:18
say, "See?
The system works.
00:13:21
We can put somebody
who was as bad
00:13:23
and as evil as a psychopath, who
killed somebody in cold blood,
00:13:28
and this psychopath
has rehabilitated in 15 years.
00:13:31
He is now a writer,
00:13:32
a person who is known
by the people in Austria."
00:13:35
-So, he was the success story
of the criminal-justice system,
00:13:40
and I think we got
too carried away
00:13:42
with that,
and lost sight of the fact
00:13:43
that this was an individual
who had harmed someone else,
00:13:45
who had taken
someone else's life.
00:13:47
And that wasn't something
that had been addressed,
00:13:49
so of course
he was gonna do it again.
00:13:52
-Unterweger was released
from prison without the need
00:13:55
to regularly speak
to a psychiatrist.
00:13:58
There was no
real supervision,
00:14:00
and he was able to live the life
of a free man.
00:14:03
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:14:06
-[ Translated ] He was very
charming, quite intelligent,
00:14:09
but also a highly manipulative
person who was not mentally ill,
00:14:13
but had an
abnormal personality.
00:14:18
-He moves to Vienna, becomes
the darling of cafe society,
00:14:22
buys a white Ford Mustang --
00:14:25
this is a man with some
considerable vanity --
00:14:29
and turns himself into
a famous guest,
00:14:33
part-time journalist, writer,
television studios, radio talks,
00:14:39
reads his poetry
to adoring crowds --
00:14:41
many of them women --
and generally struts his stuff.
00:14:47
-Unterweger
became a celebrity,
00:14:49
and often appeared
on television news programs.
00:14:53
In 1990, he joined a panel
with journalist Paul Yvon
00:14:57
to discuss prison reform.
00:14:59
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:15:01
-[ Translated ] He was invited
as, basically, an expert
00:15:03
to report on his experiences
in the penitentiary.
00:15:07
He happened to sit next to me
in this club.
00:15:10
He appeared
in a white suit.
00:15:12
As far as I can remember,
he had a bright red carnation,
00:15:15
I think,
in the buttonhole.
00:15:19
The normal reaction
of a journalist
00:15:20
is curiosity and interest.
00:15:24
What kind of guy,
what kind of person, is he?
00:15:28
-It's very easy for Unterweger
to lead a double life
00:15:31
because he can very effectively
compartmentalize
00:15:34
parts of his life
and his existence.
00:15:37
He's a very accomplished actor,
at this point.
00:15:39
He's playing this role
of the reformed criminal,
00:15:42
of the man who's changed,
00:15:44
and he's absolutely loving
the spotlight
00:15:46
that comes along with it.
So, he wants that.
00:15:48
That narcissistic
element of him
00:15:50
wants that continued attention
and this adoration.
00:15:55
-Unterweger also
continued to write,
00:15:58
and gave readings
of his works,
00:16:00
where he built up
a large female fanbase.
00:16:04
-[ Translated ] He also
showed up in various bars,
00:16:06
where he always
picked up women.
00:16:09
What's really impressive is
the incredible number of women
00:16:11
he had made contact with.
00:16:14
I believe he did not spend
one night alone,
00:16:16
and very few nights
with the same woman.
00:16:21
-Despite his re-entering
into society
00:16:23
appearing a success
to the outside world,
00:16:26
Unterweger's dark
instincts remained.
00:16:30
-A lot of people
will come out of prison.
00:16:31
They don't even have a job,
and they'll have to struggle
00:16:33
probably for the rest
of their lives.
00:16:34
But he came out, and he had
money, he had a job.
00:16:36
He already had a career
pretty much set up.
00:16:39
So, he had
all the opportunity.
00:16:41
But the problem with killers is
that they can't curb the urge.
00:16:47
-He is a man
who's positively bursting
00:16:50
with self-importance
and vanity,
00:16:53
but he is also the same man
who was cruel, manipulative,
00:16:59
and violent towards women
from the age of 16 onwards.
00:17:02
Nothing has changed.
00:17:04
Only, this time, he chooses
his targets carefully.
00:17:10
-In September 1990,
just 4 months
00:17:13
after his release
from prison,
00:17:15
Unterweger killed again,
00:17:17
and once more, he traveled
abroad to find his victim --
00:17:21
this time, to the country
formerly known
00:17:23
as "Czechoslovakia."
00:17:26
She was the 29-year-old
shop assistant in Prague,
00:17:30
Blanka Bockova.
00:17:32
Her body was found on the banks
of the Vltava River,
00:17:36
lying on her back
with her legs wide open
00:17:39
and covered with twigs
and leaves.,
00:17:41
She had been strangled
with a pair of stockings.
00:17:44
The last time she was seen alive
was at a bar,
00:17:48
talking to a well-dressed man
around 40 years old.
00:17:52
This was just the beginning
of Unterweger's
00:17:54
undetected killing spree.
00:17:57
-I can only imagine
00:17:58
that it must have
emboldened him incredibly.
00:18:01
I mean, he must have felt
literally god-like.
00:18:06
"I can do whatever I want.
00:18:08
I can dress them
and undress them."
00:18:10
This is a man
who has contempt for women.
00:18:12
That's the only possible word
for it -- utter contempt.
00:18:16
and what's more,
he intends to indulge himself
00:18:19
as long as he can
get away with it --
00:18:20
and my goodness me,
does he get away with it.
00:18:24
-A month after the murder
in Prague in October 1990,
00:18:28
Unterweger began
a new killing spree,
00:18:31
murdering three women.
00:18:33
The body of Brunhilde Masser
was found naked
00:18:36
in a forest near Graz,
in Austria,
00:18:38
nearly 3 months
after she disappeared.
00:18:42
In December 1990, Heide Hammerer
was killed in a forest
00:18:46
near Lustenau,
close to the German border.
00:18:49
Both women had been beaten
and strangled with their tights.
00:18:54
March, 1991 -- Elfriede Schrempf
disappeared near Graz.
00:18:59
Her body was only found
7 months later.
00:19:04
-We're looking at somebody
who strangled his victims,
00:19:08
but then disposed of the bodies
in the open air and forests.
00:19:12
And it was often a long time --
weeks or months --
00:19:15
before they
were discovered.
00:19:17
Obviously,
the decomposition process,
00:19:20
the fact that animals
have access to those bodies,
00:19:23
will damage them.
00:19:25
It will limit what
the pathologists can say.
00:19:30
But quite often, the body
is much better preserved
00:19:34
than, necessarily,
you would think at first glance,
00:19:37
and quite often, at least
some information can be gleaned.
00:19:42
If there was, say, bruising
in the tissues of the neck
00:19:44
from a strangulation,
00:19:46
it would still be
relatively identifiable.
00:19:49
In some cases, we could never
say what happened.
00:19:53
In others, the evidence
can still remain quite strong
00:19:56
for prolonged periods.
00:19:58
-When we look at
the murders he commits
00:20:00
after he's left prison,
00:20:01
they are much more
meticulously planned.
00:20:04
The first murder was very much
an opportunity
00:20:07
which he took advantage of,
and that the circumstances
00:20:10
around that left
an awful lot of evidence behind.
00:20:12
There was a witness.
So, of course he was going to be
00:20:15
convicted for that.
So, when he comes out,
00:20:17
he's sure he's not gonna make
those same mistakes again,
00:20:19
and he's very careful.
He plans.
00:20:21
He's incredibly organized.
00:20:24
-Little is known about
where exactly the victims died
00:20:27
and what happened to them
before they died.
00:20:30
Unterweger
picked them up in his car,
00:20:33
and presumably drove them to
an isolated area in a forest.
00:20:37
Police have no leads to follow,
until Unterweger attacked again.
00:20:42
But this time,
his murderous plan failed.
00:20:45
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:20:47
-[ Translated ]
We do know a few things
00:20:49
because one of
his victims survived.
00:20:51
And from this evidence,
it is quite clear
00:20:54
that sexual acts
were involved, too.
00:20:56
But in my opinion, these were
not of prime importance.
00:21:00
Of prime importance
was the sadism --
00:21:02
that he wanted
to torture the women,
00:21:04
that he wanted to exercise power
under all circumstances.
00:21:10
-All of Unterweger's victims
shared a similar fate
00:21:13
at the moment of their death.
-If you look at the method
00:21:17
that he used for killing
his victims, he strangled them.
00:21:20
And that is
the ultimate control method,
00:21:23
in terms of a way of
killing somebody.
00:21:25
You are face-to-face
with them.
00:21:27
You are seeing the life
drain out of them.
00:21:29
You can choose to stop.
00:21:31
You can choose
to carry on.
00:21:33
-Unterweger's victims were
found naked or half naked,
00:21:37
lying facedown
with their legs spread apart,
00:21:40
and partly covered
with twigs and leaves.
00:21:43
By now, this was
an all-too-familiar M.O.
00:21:47
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:21:51
-[ Translated ]
We always see this practice
00:21:52
with serial killers.
00:21:54
They perform almost
ritualized killings,
00:21:58
and at the end,
they also have a funeral.
00:22:04
In his case, it consisted of
covering half of the corpse,
00:22:08
as was discovered
with some of the skeletons.
00:22:14
-But no one suspected
Unterweger of the killings.
00:22:17
He was free to continue.
00:22:20
-He's learned that women
are there to be used and abused.
00:22:22
That's something that
he's learned from an early age.
00:22:25
He knows that that's wrong,
but he chooses to do it anyway,
00:22:28
because he enjoys
doing it.
00:22:29
He likes to dominate others.
00:22:31
He likes to have that feeling
of power over other people,
00:22:34
because he has
no compassion.
00:22:36
He has no empathy
for the suffering of others.
00:22:38
He's an incredibly
dangerous man.
00:22:41
-March, 1991 -- Unterweger
was living the high life
00:22:45
in Vienna's
coffee-culture society.
00:22:48
He was a charming, wealthy,
and influential poet,
00:22:51
but he was also leading
a double life.
00:22:54
Since leaving prison, he had
killed at least four woman,
00:22:58
and no one
suspected a thing.
00:23:00
Up until this point, he traveled
to commit the murders.
00:23:04
But now, he turned
his attention closer to home,
00:23:07
killing three prostitutes
in Vienna.
00:23:13
-It's an act of
the most incredible arrogance.
00:23:17
Add vanity to arrogance,
00:23:19
and you have a vision
of Unterweger's view of himself.
00:23:23
I mean, we are talking
about a man, now,
00:23:25
who is on a spree --
full-out spree.
00:23:30
He chooses wisely.
00:23:34
He's clearly trolling
red-light districts.
00:23:37
It's hard to miss
Unterweger,
00:23:39
because he's driving
a white Ford Mustang,
00:23:41
but no one puts
two and two together.
00:23:45
-He's always had
a sense of entitlement.
00:23:48
He's always felt like
he deserves
00:23:50
better than other people.
00:23:53
But at the same time,
he's also got those lessons
00:23:56
that he's learned
from his early years,
00:23:58
that women are there to be
used and abused and discarded.
00:24:02
So, women are the vehicle
00:24:04
through which he achieves
the control that he craves.
00:24:09
-A reporter
claiming to be working
00:24:11
for the Austrian
public broadcaster ORF
00:24:14
was investigating
the strange disappearance
00:24:16
of sex workers in Vienna
for a radio program.
00:24:20
His name --
Jack Unterweger.
00:24:23
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:24:24
-[ Translated ] In Austria,
there are naught point five
00:24:26
to naught point seven killings
of prostitutes per year,
00:24:30
and now, suddenly, there
were seven of eight cases
00:24:33
within a year.
00:24:34
This was conspicuous.
00:24:37
And then,
the top crime detective
00:24:39
got a visit from a reporter
named Jack Unterweger,
00:24:42
who was equipped with
a microphone, and asked him,
00:24:45
"There are so many prostitutes
being killed in Austria.
00:24:48
The population is worried.
That's a scandal.
00:24:51
Why have the police
not been more successful?"
00:24:55
And during one of
these live interviews,
00:24:57
this official told him,
"Yes.
00:24:59
We're checking up on all sexual
murderers, including you."
00:25:05
-And he's loving every minute
of this, because he knows
00:25:09
that he's the one behind the
murders that he's talking about,
00:25:12
and psychopaths enjoy
playing with people.
00:25:14
They enjoy kind of
pressing their buttons,
00:25:16
and having a bit of fun,
00:25:18
and knowing that
they're the ones
00:25:19
who've got this knowledge
that other people don't.
00:25:22
So, he's, essentially --
He's having a good time.
00:25:23
This is amusing for him.
00:25:25
He's getting a lot of
gratification out of it.
00:25:29
-Unterweger's radio program was
a bold cover-up of his crimes.
00:25:34
He also now had a reason
to visit the red-light district,
00:25:38
explaining why
his white Ford Mustang
00:25:41
with the registration
W JACK 1 was spotted,
00:25:44
and why he was seen
talking to prostitutes.
00:25:48
-It is the act of
the most extraordinary vanity
00:25:52
and arrogance
rolled into one.
00:25:55
"Not only am
I killing the prostitutes,
00:25:56
now I'm reporting
on the fact
00:25:58
that I've terrified
the prostitutes in Vienna."
00:26:00
It is...I mean, it is
truly astonishing, absolutely --
00:26:05
and I use the word rarely.
00:26:06
That is astonishing.
00:26:09
-He might have done it
just to tease the police.
00:26:12
Some serial killers,
they do...
00:26:15
The longer you go without
having people after you,
00:26:18
people knocking on your door,
the more cocky you get.
00:26:20
-He's presenting himself
as the champion
00:26:22
of these women's rights,
as their defender,
00:26:25
as somebody who really does
genuinely care about them.
00:26:29
So, this is really,
really chilling stuff.
00:26:33
-Police in Vienna did have
Unterweger on their list
00:26:37
of possible suspects,
but they had no hard evidence.
00:26:42
Unterweger often
had an alibi
00:26:44
for the days on which
the crimes happened.
00:26:46
He'd either been
to a reading,
00:26:48
given a radio interview,
or been with a girlfriend.
00:26:52
-Now, not everyone is completely
convinced by Unterweger.
00:26:56
Certainly one
police officer
00:26:58
is beginning to see similarities
with the crime
00:27:01
that he was eventually
convicted for --
00:27:05
the killing of the 18-year-old
with a steel rod.
00:27:08
In fact, that police officer
also suspected
00:27:10
he may have killed
once before.
00:27:12
But those odd suspicions do not
affect his celebrity in Vienna.
00:27:19
Indeed, he's so celebrated
and so brazen,
00:27:22
he gets commissioned
to go to Los Angeles
00:27:25
to write a piece
about prostitution.
00:27:27
-In June 1991,
Unterweger traveled to the US.
00:27:31
He stayed in the former
Cecil Hotel in Downtown L.A.
00:27:36
It had a reputation for violence
and suicide at the time.
00:27:40
Unterweger was not
the first serial killer
00:27:42
to have stayed there.
00:27:44
It was already famous
as the hangout
00:27:46
of the Night Stalker,
Richard Ramirez.
00:27:52
Within a few weeks
of landing,
00:27:54
he had killed three women
in Los Angeles,
00:27:57
all of them prostitutes.
00:28:00
-And I think there was
that sense in which
00:28:02
he was getting
a bit bored.
00:28:04
And often, you see this
with psychopaths.
00:28:06
They have that proneness
to boredom,
00:28:08
that need for stimulation.
00:28:10
So, they will often start to
vary their offending behavior,
00:28:13
to mix things up a bit,
and to keep it interesting.
00:28:15
So, I think, potentially,
that was what lay behind
00:28:18
the decision to continue killing
people outside of that country.
00:28:23
-All three murders were
meticulously planned in advance.
00:28:26
Unterweger's first L.A. victim
was Shannon Exley,
00:28:30
a prostitute allegedly
popular with truckers.
00:28:33
Nine days later,
he killed again --
00:28:36
Irene Rodriguez,
originally from Texas.
00:28:39
And 5 days after that,
he killed Sherri Ann Long,
00:28:43
who was later found
in the hills of Malibu.
00:28:47
All three women
were strangled with a bra
00:28:49
using the same very distinct
knot, a signature.
00:28:53
-Some people use
a certain method.
00:28:56
For example,
with strangulation,
00:28:57
that would be the M.O. --
the modus operandi --
00:28:59
but if they use
a strangulation with a cord,
00:29:02
then, the cord
would be the signature.
00:29:04
In his case, I don't think
he used a bra of the girls
00:29:07
a lot of the time,
but he did a specific knot.
00:29:10
I don't think
he did the knot
00:29:11
because Unterweger wanted people
to know it was him.
00:29:14
He did the knot because
he knew the knot worked,
00:29:17
and it's the same thing
that happens
00:29:18
with so many
serial killers --
00:29:20
they use a method or a signature
because they know it works.
00:29:24
-Unterweger left L.A.
and returned home to Vienna
00:29:27
before detectives could link him
to the murders.
00:29:31
But while he was away,
the police in Vienna
00:29:33
were now working closely
with their counterparts in Graz,
00:29:37
the site of the murders after
he was released from prison.
00:29:41
They realize the murders were,
in fact, linked.
00:29:44
A pattern started emerging
with Unterweger
00:29:47
being in the same area
of Austria
00:29:49
that the murders
were committed.
00:29:51
The police realized
they were now dealing
00:29:53
with a serial killer.
00:29:56
On the 13th of February, 1992,
1 year and 9 months
00:30:00
after he was
released from prison,
00:30:02
an arrest warrant was issued
by the Graz judiciary.
00:30:07
Unterweger had fled
with his girlfriend,
00:30:10
this time to Miami.
But his escape didn't last long.
00:30:15
-He's finally tracked down
to Florida in the United States
00:30:19
because the authorities
had begun
00:30:21
to put various parts
of the puzzle together.
00:30:24
And he's arrested and extradited
in May 1992
00:30:29
to stand trial
in Austria.
00:30:32
-When he talks to the
television camera, and he says,
00:30:35
"I've only had 2 years
of freedom,"
00:30:37
and he appears
to be quite upset,
00:30:39
we shouldn't be
fooled by that.
00:30:41
The only person that he feels
sorry for is himself.
00:30:44
And this is
a skilled manipulator.
00:30:46
This is somebody who's learned,
by observing the behavior
00:30:49
of other people,
what kind of emotions
00:30:52
he can display that will elicit
some kind of sympathy.
00:30:56
-During the
extradition process,
00:30:58
Detective Ernst Geiger from
the Vienna Police Department
00:31:02
discovered further links
to prove Unterweger's guilt.
00:31:05
He'd searched
Unterweger's home,
00:31:08
and found evidence
of his visit to L.A.
00:31:11
So, he contacted
the L.A. Police Department,
00:31:14
and discovered the three similar
murders in their district.
00:31:18
The evidence found
at Unterweger's home
00:31:20
placed him in the areas
of each crime scene.
00:31:24
The detective expanded
his search across Europe,
00:31:27
asking if there were
any other unresolved murders
00:31:30
with the same M.O.
00:31:33
Prague police replied with
the case of Blanka Bockova.
00:31:37
She was the first woman
Unterweger killed
00:31:40
after his release
from jail.
00:31:42
The case was building,
00:31:44
and Unterweger was charged
with the murders of 11 women.
00:31:49
On the 28th of May, 1992,
00:31:52
Unterweger was extradited
from the U.S. to Austria.
00:31:56
The minor celebrity
and poster boy of prison reform
00:32:00
was again
in police custody.
00:32:05
-It's not often
that you get a killer
00:32:07
who was that well-known
to a society.
00:32:11
And in his case,
00:32:12
it's very interesting
to me that he killed.
00:32:15
Then, he went to prison.
00:32:16
Then, he came out early,
with a brand-new profession,
00:32:21
and with an amazing chance
of just carrying on
00:32:25
with a brand-new life
10 times better
00:32:27
than the life
he had before.
00:32:30
It just goes to show that
the hate he had inside him
00:32:32
towards women was so intense
that nothing would stop him.
00:32:41
-Unterweger's trial began
on the 20th of April, 1994,
00:32:45
at the courthouse in Graz.
00:32:47
Many of his friends
from Vienna
00:32:49
still believed
in Unterweger's innocence,
00:32:52
but the prosecution had gathered
strong evidence against him --
00:32:56
including, for the first time
in an Austrian murder case, DNA.
00:33:01
The event attracted an enormous
amount of media attention.
00:33:05
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:33:07
-[ Translated ]
You had to register,
00:33:08
which was something
completely new back then,
00:33:11
having to register
as a journalist
00:33:12
in a public proceeding.
00:33:15
This big group
of his supporters,
00:33:17
his fans --
even the female ones --
00:33:20
they were already
nowhere to be seen or heard...
00:33:25
...because during
the long pre-trial process,
00:33:28
many details had come to light
which made it so clear...
00:33:33
...he was as guilty as sin.
00:33:37
-Unterweger was defended
by two lawyers
00:33:40
during what was
a complicated and lengthy trial.
00:33:44
One of them was Graz-based
Dr. Hans-Jurgen Lehofer.
00:33:48
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:33:51
-[ Translated ]
Every single victim,
00:33:52
every single murder,
had been examined.
00:33:56
The whole thing
took 3 months.
00:33:59
With many of the victims,
it was no longer possible
00:34:01
to establish how the women died,
how they were murdered...
00:34:07
...because sometimes,
only the skeleton was left,
00:34:10
as the bodies
had been in the forest.
00:34:16
-The court was shown photographs
of the first woman
00:34:18
he killed after his release,
Blanka Bockova.
00:34:22
She was murdered
in September 1990 in Prague.
00:34:25
The shocking images
left a deep impression
00:34:28
on everyone in the courtroom,
but not on Unterweger.
00:34:31
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:34:34
-The judge then asked,
"Are there any questions?"
00:34:38
And Unterweger tells me,
quite excitedly,
00:34:41
"Go on. Ask him something.
Ask already."
00:34:46
Obviously, he was not affected
by the image of this naked girl,
00:34:50
the corpse, and this person
who was strangled,
00:34:53
whose facial expressions
are not pretty.
00:34:57
He kept telling me
to ask, ask, ask.
00:35:02
I didn't know
what to ask.
00:35:04
I wasn't able to ask,
but he didn't care.
00:35:08
"Go on. Ask. Ask. Ask."
00:35:13
-For two of the murders,
00:35:15
the prosecution
presented DNA evidence.
00:35:18
A hair belonging to victim
Blanka Bockova
00:35:22
had been found
in Unterweger's car,
00:35:24
and red fibers found
on another victim's body
00:35:28
corresponded to a red scarf
found in Unterweger's home.
00:35:32
When Unterweger
was first asked by police
00:35:35
about his whereabouts
in Prague,
00:35:38
unaware of possible
DNA evidence,
00:35:40
he answered that he had been
to the city,
00:35:43
but that he hadn't
picked up anyone.
00:35:45
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:35:48
-[ Translated If he had said,
"I met a girl there,
00:35:50
took her to my car,
and we did things together...
00:35:55
...going for a ride, drinking
a beer, or something"...
00:36:00
...then it would have
been possible to explain
00:36:02
why a girl's hair
was in his car.
00:36:05
But because he said,
00:36:06
"I never took a girl in my car
in Prague"...
00:36:11
...now, the question was,
how did Bockova's hair
00:36:16
get into the car
of Jack Unterweger?
00:36:21
This practically sealed
the chain of evidence.
00:36:26
-Another key piece of evidence
was Unterweger's modus operandi.
00:36:31
He strangled his victims, always
using the same kind of knot.
00:36:35
Austrian police got in touch
with the FBI in the U.S.
00:36:39
and asked if there was a way
to analyze this specific knot.
00:36:43
An American specialist
had the answers they needed.
00:36:47
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:36:49
-[ Translated ]
Boa came to Graz
00:36:50
for the trial
of Jack Unterweger.
00:36:55
She was asked for her opinion
on the knots.
00:36:58
She said, "I'll tell you
the same thing
00:37:00
I told the Austrian
investigators at the time --
00:37:03
if you find the person
who tied one of these knots,
00:37:06
then you've undoubtedly
found the one
00:37:07
who tied all these knots.
This is a very special knot."
00:37:12
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:37:17
-[ Translated ] I can remember
how this American woman
00:37:18
had the original bra
in her hand,
00:37:20
and showed it to the jury.
00:37:25
You could see
how tightly the neck
00:37:26
was constricted
by the knot.
00:37:31
And I think that was the turning
point in the process.
00:37:34
That's when I could
really notice it.
00:37:38
One had to imagine
that the victims' neck
00:37:40
was compressed
to this diameter.
00:37:46
-[ Translated ] That was
a moment when it was dead quiet
00:37:48
in the overcrowded
courtroom,
00:37:50
even though there were
hundreds of people in there.
00:37:53
And Jack Unterweger,
00:37:54
who has always had
such a particularly straight,
00:37:58
present,
slightly dominant posture,
00:38:01
and who always looked
with a certain,
00:38:03
I would say, impudence,
as if to say,
00:38:05
"Look, I have nothing
to hide."
00:38:13
-The horror of the jury
when they saw this bra
00:38:16
could really
be felt physically,
00:38:19
and that was also
the turning point
00:38:22
when the mood turned
against Unterweger.
00:38:27
-[ Translated ] That was
the moment when you could see it
00:38:29
in his body language.
00:38:31
He slipped back into his seat,
and grew smaller and smaller.
00:38:35
His color drained,
and then, he just sat there.
00:38:39
I was thinking,
"Now, that was the moment.
00:38:43
This is it.
The hunt is over."
00:38:46
-But Unterweger stood by his
innocence to the very end.
00:38:50
The Austrian jury
consisted of eight members.
00:38:53
If the verdict is at least
four against four,
00:38:56
the accused goes free.
00:38:58
Throughout the trial,
Unterweger regularly
00:39:00
talked to Dr. Haller
in his prison cell.
00:39:04
He would discuss how he thought
the jury was reacting
00:39:07
on each day.
00:39:08
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:39:10
-[ Translated ] He closely
monitored the eight jurors
00:39:12
during the trial.
00:39:13
He always knew who was
skeptical, who were against him,
00:39:16
who were for him.
00:39:18
And he told me every day
after the trial,
00:39:20
"Today, four were for me
and four against me.
00:39:24
Today, three were skeptical,"
and so on.
00:39:30
-People like Unterweger
are incredibly intelligent,
00:39:33
and they will pick up
on other people's emotions,
00:39:36
other people's feelings.
00:39:37
Even though they don't have
that complexity of emotion
00:39:40
themselves,
they learn through observing
00:39:41
other people
the kind of behaviors
00:39:43
that they need to display,
the sorts of things
00:39:45
that they need to say
to get what they want.
00:39:51
-Absolutely certain he was
confident in his own mind
00:39:53
that he could convince
00:39:55
at least four of them
that he was innocent.
00:39:56
Unterweger is so confident
that he decides
00:39:59
that he will give
the final speech in his defense.
00:40:04
-[ Speaks native language ]
00:40:06
-[ Translated ] Unterweger
then delivered, in my opinion,
00:40:09
a brilliant concluding speech
in his defense.
00:40:14
And the jury vote was never
eight to zero for guilty.
00:40:18
Rather, it was always only
five to three or six to two.
00:40:24
So, there were always
a few jurors
00:40:25
who were still convinced
of Unterweger's innocence.
00:40:31
-But Unterweger's
impassioned speech
00:40:34
did not sway the jury
on all charges.
00:40:37
On the 28th of June, 1994,
at approximately 9:00 p.m.,
00:40:42
the verdict was read out.
00:40:44
He was found guilty of
9 of the 11 murder charges
00:40:47
against him,
and sentenced to life in prison.
00:40:50
He placed an appeal
against the verdict.
00:40:54
Unterweger then
returned to his cell,
00:40:56
where, 6 hours later,
he hanged himself with a string
00:41:00
from his jogging bottoms
and his shoelaces.
00:41:04
It was confirmed that the knot
he used to tie the noose
00:41:08
was the same he'd used
to strangle his victims.
00:41:12
-Well, Unterweger was a cold
and calculating and ruthless
00:41:16
psychopath who enjoyed
harming other people.
00:41:19
And I think that
the real shame with this case
00:41:21
is that the Austrian criminal
justice-system completely missed
00:41:24
its opportunity to put
the brakes on his offending
00:41:27
because they became too dazzled
with the individual
00:41:30
that he was presenting as,
00:41:32
and far too many people
were conned by him.
00:41:36
-He's one of those people
who really does
00:41:37
send a shiver
down my spine,
00:41:39
because he would appear
to be so charming.
00:41:42
And I'm not surprised
00:41:44
that prostitutes
got into the car with him,
00:41:45
or some may even
have recognized him.
00:41:48
But he knew they were never
going to live to tell the tale,
00:41:51
so he saw no worry in that.
The ultimate killing machine.
00:41:59
-Jack Unterweger
was a sadistic murderer
00:42:02
who killed women
for his own gratification.
00:42:05
His double life
and charming character
00:42:08
enabled him to continue with
his killing spree undetected.
00:42:12
Society wanted to believe
he was a reformed man,
00:42:16
but sadly,
that was not the case.
00:42:19
Unterweger fooled them all,
and was, without a doubt,
00:42:23
one of the world's
most evil killers.
00:42:26
♪♪
00:42:32
♪♪
00:42:38
♪♪
00:42:43
♪♪
