Kurt-Friedhelm Steinwegs
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Kurt-Friedhelm Steinwegs | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 December 1960 |
| Other names | "The Monster from Lower Rhine" |
| Conviction | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | Committed to a psychiatric institution |
| Details | |
| Victims | 6 |
Span of crimes | 1974–1983 |
| Country | West Germany |
| State | Lower Saxony |
Date apprehended | 1984 |
Kurt-Friedhelm Steinwegs (born 5 December 1960), nicknamed The Monster from Lower Rhine, is a German serial killer who murdered six people between 1974 and 1983.[1]
Kurt-Friedhelm Steinwegs was born as the fifth of eight children of a casual worker and his wife. The mother died in 1970 at the age of only 35 years. After his father looked after the children alone for two years, he invited a female friend to look after the children with him, both living in a marriage-like relationship.
The youngest brother was given up for adoption, two brothers were housed in children's homes, and another became a criminal and was detained for it.
Home accommodation
In November 1974, Steinwegs was housed in a youth centre in Gifhorn, Lower Saxony. During this time he killed 59-year-old Ernst Dorf with a stone, but this was not revealed until years later.[2]
In April 1976, the institution saw no further funding opportunities and requested a transfer for the boy. Eventually, in October 1976 he was housed in a curative education facility in Burglengenfeld, Bavaria. In July 1977, he was released and returned to live with his father in Willich.
Murder of Andrew Robinson
While living with his father, he murdered 13-year-old Willich resident Andrew Robinson in 1978.[3] In the broadcast of Aktenzeichen XY… ungelöst, the case was reported on 1 June 1979, but no evidence was determined to allow the authorities to track down the perpetrator. Steinwegs was not suspected of the crime.