5 key details about the Vienna Strangler 

Vienna Strangler refers to Johann "Jack" Unterweger, an individual whose personal life swayed between committing crimes and seeming redemption. Unterweger's youth was filled with run-ins with the law, leading to numerous arrests for theft, assault, and other crimes.

However, it was his later years that etched his name into infamy. When he was freed in 1990, after serving his sentence for the first murder he committed in 1974, Unterweger became a media star, feted for his writings and supposed reformation. However, behind this mask of a reformed man lay some darker truths.

Shortly after his release, a series of murders began to surface, eerily similar to his past crimes. The victims, who were mostly s*x workers, were found strangled with their bras, a signature modus operandi that would ultimately link the Vienna Strangler to these heinous acts.

The second episode of World's Most Notorious Killers on Oxygen delves into this story to understand the complexities in the duality of the Vienna Strangler, who was finally brought to justice through investigations. The episode aired on December 9, 2024, at 8 pm on Oxygen.

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Five details regarding Jack Unterweger aka the Vienna Strangler

1) Early life and criminal beginnings

Jack Unterweger was born on August 16, 1950, in Judenburg, Austria. His early years were unstable, with tendencies of criminal behavior. His mother, Theresia Unterweger, served as a barmaid and waitress, and she had been accused of engaging in prostitution.

Unterweger's father was an American soldier who rarely visited his family. Further, when Theresia was arrested in 1953, Jack was sent to live with his grandfather. By the age of 16, Unterweger had already been arrested several times for theft, among other crimes like sexual assault.

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2) First murder and incarceration

It was in 1974 when he committed his first murder, strangling 18-year-old West German native Margaret Schäfer with her bra. Unterweger was convicted of the crime and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1976.

Under his life imprisonment, the Vienna Strangler started writing articles, poems, and short stories. Further, his autobiographic work, Purgatory or The Trip to Prison – Report of a Guilty Man, was put in circulation and led to a campaign in his favor, demanding his freedom.

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3) Release and return to crime

Despite his criminal past, Unterweger was released on parole in 1990, after serving almost 15 years. He quickly became a minor celebrity, working as a playwright and journalist.

However, within months of his release, he resumed his killing spree. The Peacock documentary details how Unterweger's victims, primarily s*x workers, were found in similar conditions: naked, with their hands bound, and strangled using their bras.

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4) The inquiry and arrest

The policemen of Vienna, Graz, and Los Angeles noticed a trend in the murders and launched a joint inquiry. The documentary explains the difficulties faced by law enforcement in associating all crimes with the Vienna Strangler, who had managed not to arouse suspicion for a very long time. The inquiry led to the arrest of Unterweger in February 1992.

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5) Consequences and trial

On June 29, 1994, Unterweger was sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole, after being found guilty of nine murders. However, he hanged himself in his prison cell that same night, barely days before his trial opening. The documentary explores how the crimes by the Vienna Strangler affected the victims' families and what it may mean for the criminal justice system.

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The case of the Vienna Strangler serves as a reminder of how complex human behavior can be and how one can deceive. World's Most Notorious Killer: The Vienna Strangler gives the viewers an inside and unbiased account of the life and crimes of Jack Unterweger, for a one-on-one perspective of the case at hand.