Bio

Johann "Jack" Unterweger was born on August 16, 1951, in Steiermark, Austria. He was the son of an Austrian prostitute and an unknown American soldier. His early life was marked by hardship and instability. After his mother was arrested for fraud when he was just a few weeks old, Unterweger spent much of his childhood with his grandfather, who was abusive and an alcoholic. They lived in a one-room cabin, and Unterweger often faced neglect and a lack of proper care.

As a child, Unterweger was a troubled youth. He frequently skipped school and was seen as a chronic truant by the age of nine. By 16, he had been arrested for assaulting a local prostitute. Over the next decade, he accumulated numerous arrests, totaling 16 convictions for various crimes, mainly involving sexual assaults against women. Shortly after his first murder, he was sentenced to life in prison in 1976 for killing an 18-year-old girl named Margaret Schäfer. He used the time in prison to transform himself; while incarcerated, he learned to read and write and began writing poetry and plays.

During his 15 years in prison, Unterweger became a literary figure, writing an autobiography titled "Fegefeuer – eine Reise ins Zuchthaus," which garnered critical acclaim. His works presented him as a reformed man who had found redemption through writing. Due to the pressure from influential figures in Austrian society who believed he had reformed, Unterweger was released on parole on May 23, 1990.

After his release, Unterweger quickly became a public figure. He appeared on television to discuss criminal rehabilitation and was celebrated as an example of how a person could change. However, during this time, law enforcement later determined that he was responsible for killing at least six prostitutes in Austria during his first year of freedom.

In June 1991, he traveled to Los Angeles to write about crime for an Austrian magazine. While there, three more prostitutes were murdered, and the manner of the killings bore striking similarities to his previous crimes. Police began to connect the dots between Unterweger and these crimes.

Murder Story

Johann "Jack" Unterweger committed a series of murders that took place over different periods, beginning in 1976 and continuing until 1992. He was involved in killing women, specifically prostitutes, in Austria, California, and Czechoslovakia.

His initial murder occurred in 1974 when he strangled an 18-year-old woman named Margaret Schäfer. He was arrested and sentenced to life in prison. While incarcerated, Unterweger wrote many works including stories and an autobiography, which gained him notoriety. He was released in 1990 after serving 16 years, believed to be rehabilitated.

After his release, Unterweger was linked to six murders of prostitutes in Austria within the first year of his freedom. In 1991, he traveled to Los Angeles to write articles about crime for a magazine. During that time, three women—Shannon Exley, Irene Rodriguez, and Sherri Ann Long—were murdered, and their bodies showed signs of being beaten and strangled with their bras.

After the murders in Los Angeles, police in Austria started to suspect Unterweger due to the similarities in the cases. When they attempted to arrest him, he had already fled. He was eventually captured in Miami, Florida, on February 27, 1992.

Upon extradition back to Austria, he was charged with 11 murders. His trial began in April 1994 and lasted for approximately two months. On June 29, 1994, he was found guilty of nine counts of murder but acquitted of two due to insufficient evidence.

That same night, Unterweger died by hanging himself in his cell, using a method similar to that which he had employed on his victims. Under Austrian law, since he died before he could appeal, his guilty verdict did not stand, leaving him technically considered innocent.