Case 197
The Austrian Ripper
*** Content Warning: sexual assault, suicide ***
In 1974, a young woman named Margaret Schafer was strangled to death in her hometown of Ewersbach, Germany. A young man named Jack Unterweger was found guilty of the murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
In the proceeding years, eleven victims were strangled to death in similar circumstances in Los Angeles, Prague and the Austrian towns of Vienna and Graz. Investigators were flummoxed. How could the crimes be connected when they spanned three different countries?
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research & writing – Jessica Forsayeth
Editing – Erin Munro
Creative direction – Milly Raso
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
PREMIUM
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RESOURCES
WEBSITES
Jack Unterweger: Poet of Death
NEWS ARTICLES
Killer Prose – The Washington Post
Murderer’s ‘final freedom’: the bizarre life of Jack Unterweger, poet and killer of prostitutes, ends at his own hand – Independent
The deadly hunt for a malevolent poet – Muncie Evening Press
Famed prison writer on trial for murders – Associated Press
Austrian slayer of L.A. prostitutes kills himself – The LA Times
‘Austrian Ripper’ confounds police – Associated Press
International killer or reformed convict? – Associated Press
John Malkovich brings serial killer Jack Unterweger back to life on Vienna stage – The Guardian
INTERNET ARTICLES
Killer Abroad – The FBI Files
Jack Unterweger – A&E/Biography Channel
BOOKS
Entering Hades: The Double Life of a Serial Killer – John Leake