The Vienna Strangler

2006

45min

The chilling story of Austrian author and serial killer Johann “Jack” Unterweger. Convicted in 1976 for the brutal murder of 18-year-old Margaret Schäfer, strangled with her own bra, Unterweger was sentenced to life in prison. Behind bars, he reinvented himself as a writer, publishing poetry, plays, and an acclaimed autobiography that portrayed his crimes as the product of a troubled youth. His transformation into a literary figure won him the support of intellectuals and politicians, who campaigned for his release. In 1990, after serving just 15 years, Unterweger walked free — hailed as a symbol of rehabilitation.... or was he?