Johann "Jack" Unterweger was an Austrian writer who had already served time for one murder before killing at least eleven more people across three countries between 1990 and 1991. In 1976 he was convicted in Austria of murdering 18-year-old Margret Schäfer in West Germany in December 1974 and was sentenced to life in prison. During his sentence he became known for prison writing that drew support from Austrian literary and political figures campaigning for his release, and he was paroled on 23 May 1990 after serving the mandatory minimum of fifteen years. Afterward he worked as a journalist and playwright, including reporting for Austrian public broadcaster ORF on the same killings for which he was later convicted.
On 14 September 1990, 20-year-old Blanka Bočková was killed in Prague, Czechoslovakia; she was found strangled the next day near the Vltava River. Between October 1990 and May 1991, at least seven sex workers were killed in Austria: Brunhilde Masser (41) in Graz, Heidemarie Hammerer (31) in Bregenz, Elfriede Schrempf (35) in Graz, and Silvia Zagler (23), Sabine Moitzi (25), Regina Prem (33), and Karin Eroglu-Sladky (25) in Vienna. Each was driven outside the city, beaten, raped, and strangled — manually in most cases, and with an item of underwear in others — before being left in a wooded area. Some bodies were not discovered for months; Regina Prem's remains were not found until April 1992, nearly a year after she disappeared.
In summer 1991, on assignment in Los Angeles to write about prostitution and policing, Unterweger beat, raped, and killed three more sex workers: Shannon Exley (35) on 20 June, Irene Rodriguez (33) on 28 June, and Peggi Jean Booth, also known as Sherri Ann Long (26), on 3 July. Investigators later connected the Los Angeles and Austrian killings through the distinctive way each victim's bra had been cut and retied into a knot used to control asphyxiation.
Austrian authorities regarded Unterweger as a suspect and placed him under surveillance, including two rounds of questioning by Vienna police councillor Max Edelbacher in late 1991, but found nothing definitive before he traveled to the United States. Once police in Graz assembled enough evidence for an arrest, Unterweger fled with his girlfriend through Switzerland, France, and the United States. He was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Miami, Florida, on 27 February 1992, extradited to Austria on 27 May 1992, and charged with eleven murders spanning the three countries.
At trial, psychiatrist Reinhard Haller told the court on 20 June 1994 that Unterweger had narcissistic personality disorder. A jury convicted him of nine of the eleven murders by a 6:2 vote, and on 29 June 1994 he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. That night he hanged himself in his cell at Justizanstalt Graz-Jakomini, using a knot matching the one found on the strangled victims. Because Unterweger had stated an intention to appeal, Austrian law did not treat his guilty verdict as legally final — it was never reviewed and confirmed by a higher court.
Silvia Zagler, Shannon Exley, Sabine Moitzi, Blanka Bočková, Heidemarie Hammerer, Regina Prem, Brunhilde Masser, Irene Rodriguez, Karin Eroglu-Sladky, Elfriede Schrempf, Peggi Jean Booth
Date
1990
Location
Vienna, Austria
Case status
solved
Case timeline
1974-12-11
Unterweger abducts and kills 18-year-old Margret Schäfer near Herborn, West Germany — his first known murder.
1976-06-01
Convicted in Austria of Schäfer's murder and sentenced to life in prison.
1990-05-23
Released on parole after serving the mandatory minimum of fifteen years; resumes work as a journalist and playwright.
1990-09-14
Blanka Bočková, 20, killed in Prague, Czechoslovakia; found strangled the next day near the Vltava River.
1990-10-27
Brunhilde Masser, 41, killed in Graz, Austria; body found 26 January 1991 in Gratkorn.
1990-12-05
Heidemarie Hammerer, 31, killed in Bregenz, Austria; body found 31 December 1990 in Lustenau.
1991-03-07
Elfriede Schrempf, 35, killed in Graz, Austria; body found 5 October 1991 in Lichendorf.
1991-04-08
Silvia Zagler, 23, killed in Vienna, Austria; body found 4 August 1991 in Wolfsgraben.
1991-04-16
Sabine Moitzi, 25, killed in Vienna, Austria; body found 20 May 1991 near Schottenhof, Penzing.
1991-04-28
Regina Prem, 33, killed in Vienna, Austria; body found 16 April 1992 on the Hermannskogel in the Döbling district.
1991-05-08
Karin Eroglu-Sladky, 25, killed in Vienna, Austria; body found 23 May 1991 in Gablitz.
1991-06-20
Shannon Exley, 35, killed in the Los Angeles, California area.
1991-06-28
Irene Rodriguez, 33, killed in the Los Angeles, California area.
1991-07-03
Peggi Jean Booth, also known as Sherri Ann Long, 26, killed in the Los Angeles/Malibu, California area.
1992-02-27
Arrested by U.S. Marshals in Miami, Florida, after fleeing through Switzerland and France.
1992-05-27
Extradited to Austria and charged with eleven murders.
1994-06-20
Psychiatrist Reinhard Haller tells the court Unterweger has narcissistic personality disorder.
1994-06-29
Jury convicts Unterweger of nine murders by a 6:2 vote; sentenced to life without parole and dies by suicide in his cell the same night.
Best coverage
Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
VIDEO
The Casual Criminalist / 4 hr 41 min
Jack Unterweger: Why Was He Ever Released?
People
Silvia Zagler
VICTIM
23-year-old sex worker; killed in Vienna, Austria on 8 April 1991; body found 4 August 1991 in Wolfsgraben.
Shannon Exley
VICTIM
35-year-old sex worker; killed in the Los Angeles, California area on 20 June 1991.
Max Edelbacher
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Vienna police councillor who questioned Unterweger twice in autumn 1991 during the investigation into the Austrian killings.
Sabine Moitzi
VICTIM
25-year-old sex worker; killed in Vienna, Austria on 16 April 1991; body found 20 May 1991 near Schottenhof, Penzing.
Blanka Bočková
VICTIM
20-year-old butcher shop employee; last seen in Prague, Czechoslovakia on 14 September 1990 walking with a man after an argument with her husband; found strangled the next day near the Vltava River.
Heidemarie Hammerer
VICTIM
31-year-old sex worker known as 'Heide'; killed in Bregenz, Austria on 5 December 1990; body found 31 December 1990 in Lustenau.
Regina Prem
VICTIM
33-year-old sex worker; killed in Vienna, Austria on 28 April 1991; body found 16 April 1992 on the Hermannskogel in Vienna's Döbling district.
Brunhilde Masser
VICTIM
41-year-old sex worker; killed in Graz, Austria on 27 October 1990; body found 26 January 1991 in Gratkorn.
Irene Rodriguez
VICTIM
33-year-old sex worker; killed in the Los Angeles, California area on 28 June 1991.
Karin Eroglu-Sladky
VICTIM
25-year-old sex worker; killed in Vienna, Austria on 8 May 1991; body found 23 May 1991 in Gablitz.
Elfriede Schrempf
VICTIM
35-year-old sex worker; killed in Graz, Austria on 7 March 1991; body found 5 October 1991 in Lichendorf.
Peggi Jean Booth
VICTIM
26-year-old sex worker also known as Sherri Ann Long; killed in the Los Angeles/Malibu, California area on 3 July 1991.
Jack Unterweger
CONVICTED
Convicted by a Vienna jury (6:2) of nine murders on 29 June 1994 and sentenced to life without parole; died by suicide in his cell hours later. He had stated an intention to appeal, so under Austrian law the verdict was never confirmed as legally final.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Austrian writer Jack Unterweger, paroled in 1990 after fifteen years for a 1974 murder, killed at least eleven more people in Czechoslovakia, Austria, and the United States. A jury convicted him of nine of those murders in June 1994; he died by suicide in his cell hours after sentencing.
Where did the murders happen?
Vienna, Austria.
Who was convicted?
Jack Unterweger (Convicted by a Vienna jury (6:2) of nine murders on 29 June 1994 and sentenced to life without parole; died by suicide in his cell hours later. He had stated an intention to appeal, so under Austrian law the verdict was never confirmed as legally final.).
