List of German serial killers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more people, with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them.[1][2] The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines serial killing as "a series of two or more murders, committed as separate events, usually, but not always, by one offender acting alone".[3][4]

Pre-reunification

More information Name, Years active ...
NameYears activeProven victimsPossible victimsStatusNotesRef
Bartsch, Jürgen 1962–1966 4 4 Died during castration surgery Known as "The Carnival Killer"; killed boys aged 8–13 in Langenberg, with one managing to escape [5]
Beck, Ernst-Dieter 1961–1968 3 3 Died while imprisoned First murderer in German history on whom a chromosome test was applied [6]
Bingelhelm, Simon 16th-century 26 26 Executed 1600 Known as "The Thousand Devils of Halberstadt"; robber who confessed to multiple murders in the present-day area of Saxony-Anhalt [7]
Denke, Karl 1903–1924 30 42+ Committed suicide in police custody Cannibal who killed homeless vagrants and travellers in Prussia; allegedly sold his victims' flesh as meat to unsuspecting customers [8]
Eichhorn, Johann 1931–1939 5 5+ Executed 1939 Known as "The Beast of Aubing"; raped numerous women around western Munich, killing and mutilating at least five of them when they resisted him [9]
Fleischer, Simeon 16th-century 19 19 Executed 1581 Wool weaver who murdered 19 wives for money; existence is disputed [10]
Gatter, Arthur 1990 8 8 Committed suicide before sentencing Known as "The Hammer-Killer of Frankfurt"; killed people with a hammer in Frankfurt city parks [11]
Genipperteinga, Christman 1568–1581 964 964 Executed 1581 Possibly fictitious bandit who kept a registry of all the people he had killed, tallying up to 964 [12][13]
Gosmann, Klaus 1960–1965 7 7 Released 2015 Known as "The Midday Murderer"; committed robberies and murders at noon, hence his nickname [14]
Gottfried, Gesche 1813–1827 15 15 Executed 1831 Poisoned people with arsenic in Bremen and Hanover; last person to be publicly beheaded in Bremen [15]
Großmann, Carl 1918–1921 26 100+ Committed suicide while imprisoned Known as "The Berlin Butcher"; killed women and later sold their flesh on the black market [16]
Haarmann, Fritz 1918–1924 24 27+ Executed 1925 Known as "The Butcher of Hanover"; murdered young men and boys before dismembering their bodies; allegedly sold some of the flesh as contraband meat [17]
Hagedorn, Erwin 1969–1971 3 3 Executed 1972 Killed three boys in Eberswalde; last civilian to be executed for ordinary crimes in East Germany [18]
Hanebuth, Jasper 17th-century 19 19 Executed 1653 Former mercenary and highwayman who killed people around the Eilenriede forest [19]
Holst, Thomas 1987–1989 3 3 Committed to a psychiatric clinic Known as "The Heidemörder"; tortured and then killed women in south Hamburg [20]
Honka, Fritz 1970–1975 4 4 Died 1998 Murdered prostitutes in Hamburg's red light district [21]
Hopf, Karl 1902–1906 4 4 Executed 1914 Poisoned family members and attempted to kill others in the Frankfurt area [22]
Hößl, Peter 1959–1982 4 6 Died in prison Shot and killed strangers in the Munich district for sexual gratification [23]
Imiela, Arwed 1968–1969 4 4 Died in prison Known as "The Bluebeard of Fehmarn"; fraudster who lured and killed women in Fehmarn after gaining access to their bank accounts [24]
Kimmritz, Willi 1946–1948 4 4 Executed 1950 Known as "The Horror of the Brandenburg Forest"; raped and robbed women in the forests around Berlin, killing some of his victims [25]
Kroll, Joachim 1955–1976 14 14 Died while imprisoned Known as "The Ruhr Cannibal"; raped and killed mostly women in and around the Ruhr region, eating parts of their flesh afterwards [26]
Kürten, Peter 1913–1929 9 9+ Executed 1931 Known as "The Vampire of Düsseldorf"; responsible for numerous sexual assaults, murders and attempted murders in Düsseldorf [27]
Lehmann, Christa 1952–1954 3 3 Released 1977 Poisoned family members and the family dog; initially sentenced to life imprisonment but released after 23 years
Ludy, Franz Josef 1952–1968 4 4 Sentenced to life imprisonment Serial child abuser who murdered two children and a couple [28]
Mayer, Johann 1918–1919 5 5 Executed 1923 Known as "Stumpfarm"; disabled man who shot and killed people with a carbine [29]
Niers, Peter 16th-century 544 544+ Executed 1581 Reputed bandit and gang leader who killed numerous people with his accomplices
Ogorzow, Paul 1940–1941 8 8+ Executed 1941 Known as "The S-Bahn Murderer"; SA sergeant who killed women in wartime Berlin [30]
Pinzner, Werner 1984–1986 13 13 Committed suicide to avoid apprehension Known as "The St. Pauli Killer"; contract killer who murdered various people around Hamburg [31][32]
Pleil, Rudolf 1946–1947 10 25 Committed suicide while imprisoned Known as "The Deadmaker"; killed one salesman and nine women in the Harz mountain range, but confessed to killing more [33]
Poehlke, Norbert 1984–1985 6 6 Committed suicide to avoid apprehension Known as "The Hammer-Killer"; police officer and bank robber who killed people during his crimes in Baden-Württemberg; killed his wife, two sons and then himself in Italy to avoid capture [34]
Pommerenke, Heinrich 1959 4 4+ Died while imprisoned Killed women around Baden-Württemberg; longest-serving prisoner in Germany until his death [35]
Prigan, Bernhard 1947–1952 3 16 Sentenced to life imprisonment Known as "The Strangler"; killed women near controlled-access highways and major roads [36]
Schiffer, Egidius 1983–1990 5 5 Died in prison Known as "The Strangler of Aachen"; murdered girls and women, sexually abusing three of them [37]
Schmidt, Ulrich 1987–1989 5 5 Sentenced to life imprisonment Known as "The Holiday Killer"; Assaulted nine women in Essen, killing five. [38]
Schumann, Friedrich 1909–1920 9 25 Executed 1921 Known as "The Terror of Falkenhagen Lake"; criminal who killed people in the Berlin area [39]
Seefeldt, Adolf 1908–1935 12 12+ Executed 1936 Known as "The Sandman"; travelling watchmaker who poisoned and then sexually assaulted young boys in their sleep [40]
Steinwegs, Kurt-Friedhelm 1974–1983 6 6 Committed to a psychiatric institution Known as "The Monster from Lower Rhine"; juvenile delinquent who killed six people [41]
Sternickel, August 1905–1913 7 7 Executed 1913 Petty criminal who killed his employer in 1905; while on the run for authorities in the next years, proceeded to kill other people for profit [42]
Stiebitz, Mario 1983–1984 5 5 Sentenced to life imprisonment Sadist who murdered a young man and four children around Neubrandenburg and the surrounding area [43]
Stumpp, Peter c. 1564–1589 18 18 Executed 1589 Known as "The Werewolf of Bedburg"; farmer and accused cannibal who killed people in the 16th-century [44]
Swinka, Irmgard 1947–1948 5 5+ Died a year after release from prison Together with two male accomplices, poisoned and robbed elderly women across Allied-occupied Germany; last person to be sentenced to death by a West German court outside of West Berlin [45]
Tessnow, Ludwig 1898–1901 4 4 Executed 1904 First criminal in history on whom a blood type test was performed [46]
Ursinus, Sophie 1796–1803 3 3 Died 1836 Poisoned her family members with arsenic; her trial led to a method of identifying said type of poisoning [47]
Velten, Maria 1963–1982 3 5 Died 2008 Known as "The Poison Witch from Lower Rhine"; poisoned her family members and partners with parathion; released from prison at 93 [48]
Wiese, Elisabeth 1902–1903 5 5 Executed 1905 Known as "The Angel Maker of St. Pauli"; poisoned her grandchild and other children with morphine, burning their bodies in the stove afterwards [49]
Wichmann, Kurt-Werner 1989 4 21+ Committed suicide Cemetery gardener thought to be responsible for the Göhrde Murders, and other ones as well [50]
Wittmann, Ferdinand 1860–1865 6 6 Executed 1868 Poisoned his relatives with arsenic [51]
Wittmann, Manfred 1968–1969 3 3 Released 2013 Known as "The Staffelstein Killer"; sadist who killed underage girls in Coburg [52]
Zimmermann, Rudolf 1940 4 4 Executed 1940 Itinerant labourer who raped and murdered young girls across Germany and Czechoslovakia [53]
Zwanziger, Anna Maria 1801–1811 4 4 Executed 1811 Bavarian poisoner who killed people with arsenic; executed by decapitation in Kulmbach [54]
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Post-reunification

More information Name, Years active ...
NameYears activeProven victimsPossible victimsStatusNotesRef
Becker, Irene 2005–2006 5 8 Sentenced to life imprisonment Known as "The Angel of Death from Charité" [55]
Bodenfelde Black Widows 1983–2000 4 4 Sentenced to life imprisonment/12 years imprisonment Lydia L. killed 4 older men with the help of Siggi S. in Bodenfelde. [56]
Böhnhardt, Uwe 2000–2007 10 10 Killed by partner Neo-Nazi who killed immigrants throughout Germany, with accomplices Beate Zschäpe and Uwe Mundlos [57]
David, Horst 1975–1993 3 7+ Died in prison One of his murders proved to be a milestone in German criminal history, as it was the first 20-year-old crime to be solved with the help of the computer-assisted tracking system of AFIS [58]
Eckert, Volker 1974–2006 6 14+ Committed suicide in police custody Trucker who abducted, tortured and killed prostitutes in Germany, Spain and France; confessed to additional murders, including ones in Italy and the Czech Republic [59]
Gust, Frank 1994–1998 4 4 Sentenced to life imprisonment Known as "The Rhine-Ruhr-Ripper"; sexual sadist who killed and subsequently mutilated women in the Rhine-Ruhr region [60]
Högel, Niels 2000–2005 106 300 Sentenced to life imprisonment Male nurse who killed patients in two hospitals in Oldenburg and Delmenhorst [61][62]
Lemke, Thomas 1995–1996 3 3 Sentenced to life imprisonment Former mercenary and far-right extremist who killed political opponents [63]
Letter, Stephan 2003–2004 29 29+ Sentenced to life imprisonment Male nurse who poisoned patients in Sonthofen [64]
Metzler, Marco 2003–2006 3 3 Sentenced to life imprisonment Truck driver who attacked and killed women along highways [65]
Mundlos, Uwe 2000–2007 11 11 Committed suicide to avoid apprehension Neo-Nazi who killed immigrants throughout Germany, with accomplices Beate Zschäpe and Uwe Böhnhardt [66]
Ney, Martin 1992–2004 3 4 Sentenced to life imprisonment Known as "The Masked Man"; prolific pedophile who murdered children in school camps; additionally suspected of killing French boy Jonathan Coulom [67]
Nölle, Marianne 1993 7 17 Sentenced to life imprisonment Nurse who killed patients in Cologne [68]
P. Dirk 2012 3 5 Sentenced to life imprisonment. Committed suicide in prison. Poisoned men he dated in the Berlin gay dance scene. Possibly killed family members before. [69]
Rung, Thomas 1983–1995 7 7 Sentenced to life imprisonment Raped and murdered six women in Berlin, as well as his stepbrother; another man falsely confessed to his first murder [70]
S., Tuba 2016 3 3+ Sentenced to life imprisonment Murdered at least three people in robberies in Düsseldorf and Giessen [71]
Schmidt, Beate 1989–1991 6 6 Committed to a psychiatric hospital Known as "The Beast of Beelitz"; trans woman who killed five women and an infant in Beelitz [72]
Seel, Manfred 1971–2004 5 9 Died before crimes were discovered Known as "The Hesse Ripper"; suspected of killing women in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main and other places; died before crimes were discovered [73]
Sprungk, Gabor 2007–2008 3 3 Committed suicide in prison Known as "The Mansfeld Double Murderer"; killed a Swiss woman, and later an elderly woman and her doctor in Mansfeld in order to rob them [74]
Zschäpe, Beate 2000–2007 10 10 Sentenced to life imprisonment Neo-Nazi who killed immigrants throughout Germany, with accomplices Uwe Böhnhardt and Uwe Mundlos -
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Unidentified serial killers

More information Name, Years active ...
NameYears activeProven victimsPossible victimsRegion where activeNotesRef
Hamburg rubble murderer 1947 4 4 Hamburg Killed 4 people during the cold winter in Hamburg; convicted serial killer Rudolf Pleil was questioned, but later cleared of these murders [76]
Münsterland murders 1971–1974 4 4+ North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony Kidnapped and killed at least four hitchhikers in the Münster and Bentheim regions [77]
Pirmasens child killer 1960–1967 3 3 Rhineland-Palatinate Suspected abductor and child killer responsible for the disappearance of three children from the town of Pirmasens [78]
Saw-Killer of Hanover 1975–1977 6 6+ Lower Saxony Killed and dismembered at least four women and two men around Hanover, dumping their body parts at various places in the city [79]
Sewer Murders 1976–1989 7 7 Frankfurt Rhine-Main Also called "The Sewage Plant Murders"; the bodies of several young boys and adolescents were discovered near sewage treatment plants in Frankfurt Rhine-Main, leading authorities to believe they were killed by a serial killer [80]
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See also

References

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