In a landmark ruling that has gripped the Austrian public, the Innsbruck Regional Court has handed down life sentences to Austrians Kevin and Nathalie M., both 27, for the systematic starvation and torture of their 3-year-old son, Elias.
The verdict, delivered after a harrowing trial, also included a mandate for the mother to be committed to a psychiatric institution. The couple had previously admitted to the horrific abuse that ended their son’s life in May 2024.
Prosecutor Verena Pezzei categorized the depravity of the case as unparalleled in her closing remarks, as documented by Austrian outlet Kronen-Zeitung. She noted, “We have something so cruel here in that this district has never seen – not even across Austria. They tortured their three-year-old son to death and made fun of him.”
The prosecution detailed a five-month period of escalating violence in which the toddler was regularly assaulted and restrained. The child’s life ended in a cramped, 50-centimeter drawer, where he succumbed to the combined effects of hunger and thirst.
During their private communications, the couple dehumanized the boy, and believed that he was possessed by an evil old woman named “Dorothea,” who they called “the old woman.” They attempted to frame the abuse as a spiritual struggle against a “demon” they claimed occupied his body. This narrative was rejected by forensic psychiatrist Adelheid Kastner, who testified there was “no delusion and no illness.“
Kastner suggested the parents used the child as a scapegoat for the pressures of poverty and the demands of caring for their three other daughters.
The core of the judicial evidence consisted of 125,000 chat messages exchanged between the parents. These records demonstrated a collaborative effort to organize and document the child’s suffering. The prosecutor highlighted one particularly dark exchange: “Killing is not enough – he must die in agony.”
The court heard that Elias was confined for long stretches in a lightless room and a windowless bathroom. According to the prosecution, the child’s “mouth was often taped shut, hands and legs tied with cable ties.”
Adding to the trauma was that his older sister, aged six, recalled to authorities that she heard the haunting sound of the toddler desperately pounding on the door in an attempt to escape his confinement.
While Nathalie M. remained largely stoic, Kevin M. offered a public apology during the proceedings.
“There is no explanation for what happened, nothing would even begin to explain it.“
He further stated, “I recognize my mistake; it is inexcusable. I regret every day, I am deeply sorry that my three other children witnessed Elias’s suffering.”
The atmosphere in the courtroom turned somber when a video of the victim was played for the jury. While the audience could only hear the boy’s cries, the footage was so distressing that one observer walked out, muttering: “I don’t understand it.”
The judges ruled that the couple purposefully neglected and tormented Elias, taking advantage of his absolute vulnerability. The case remains one of the most significant and disturbing chapters in Austria’s legal history. While the parents remain in custody, it is not yet clear if they intend to challenge the life sentences.
