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]
Name | Years active | Proven victims | Possible victims | Status | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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] |
Boost, Werner | 1953–1956 | 1 | 5 | Released 1990 | Known as "The Couples' Killer"; along with accomplice Franz Lorbach, murdered couples in the 1950s, but only convicted of one murder | [8] |
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 | [9] |
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 | [10] |
Fleischer, Simeon | 16th-century | 19 | 19 | Executed 1581 | Wool weaver who murdered 19 wives for money; existence is disputed | [11] |
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 | [12] |
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 | [13] [14] |
Gossmann, Klaus | 1960–1965 | 7 | 7 | Released 2015 | Known as "The Midday Murderer"; committed robberies and murders at noon, hence his nickname | [15] |
Gottfried, Gesche | 1813–1827 | 15 | 15 | Executed 1831 | Poisoned people with arsenic in Bremen and Hanover; last person to be publicly hanged in Bremen | [16] |
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 | [17] |
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 | [18] |
Hagedorn, Erwin | 1969–1971 | 3 | 3 | Executed 1972 | Killed three boys in Eberswalde; last civilian to be executed by East Germany in 1972 | [19] |
Hanebuth, Jasper | 17th-century | 19 | 19 | Executed 1653 | Former mercenary and highwayman who killed people around the Eilenriede forest | [20] |
Holst, Thomas | 1987–1989 | 3 | 3 | Committed to a psychiatric clinic | Known as "The Heidemörder"; tortured and then killed women in south Hamburg | [21] |
Honka, Fritz | 1970–1975 | 4 | 4 | Died 1998 | Murdered prostitutes in Hamburg's red light district | [22] |
Hopf, Karl | 1902–1906 | 4 | 4 | Executed 1914 | Poisoned family members and attempted to kill others in the Frankfurt area | [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] |
Reinstrom, Lutz | 1986–1988 | 2 | 2 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Known as "The Acid Killer"; sadomasochist who tortured and killed two women in Hamburg | [37] |
Schiffer, Egidius | 1983–1990 | 5 | 5 | Died in prison | Known as "The Strangler of Aachen"; murdered girls and women, sexually abusing three of them | [38] |
Schmidt, Ulrich | 1987–1989 | 5 | 5 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Known as "The Holiday Killer"; Assaulted nine women in Essen, killing five. | [39] |
Schumann, Friedrich | 1918–1920 | 7 | 7 | Executed 1921 | Known as "The Terror of Falkenhagen Lake"; criminal who killed people in the Berlin area | [40] |
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 | [41] |
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 | [42] |
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 | [43] |
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 | [44] |
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 | [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; youngest serial killer in German history | [51] |
Wittmann, Manfred | 1968–1969 | 3 | 3 | Released 2013 | Known as "The Staffelstein Killer"; sadist who killed underage girls in Coburg | [52] |
Zwanziger, Anna Maria | 1801–1811 | 4 | 4 | Executed 1811 | Bavarian poisoner who killed people with arsenic; executed by decapitation in Kulmbach | [53] |
Name | Years active | Proven victims | Possible victims | Status | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Becker, Irene | 2005–2006 | 5 | 8 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Known as "The Angel of Death from Charité" | [54] |
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. | [55] |
Böhnhardt, Uwe | 2000–2007 | 10 | 10 | Killed by partner | Neo-Nazi who killed immigrants throughout Germany, with accomplices Beate Zschäpe and Uwe Mundlos | [56] |
David, Horst | 1975–1993 | 3 | 7+ | Sentenced to life imprisonment | 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 | [57] |
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 | [58] |
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 | [59] |
Hoffmann, Marc | 2004 | 2 | 2+ | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Sex offender who sexually abused and murdered two children; suspected of other murders | [60] [61] |
Högel, Niels | 2000–2005 | 106 | 300 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Male nurse who killed patients in two hospitals in Oldenburg and Delmenhorst | [62] [63] |
Lemke, Thomas | 1995–1996 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Former mercenary and far-right extremist who killed political opponents | [64] |
Letter, Stephan | 2003–2004 | 29 | 29+ | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Male nurse who poisoned patients in Sonthofen | [65] |
Metzler, Marco | 2003–2006 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Truck driver who attacked and killed women along highways | [66] |
Mundlos, Uwe | 2000–2007 | 10 | 10 | Committed suicide to avoid apprehension | Neo-Nazi who killed immigrants throughout Germany, with accomplices Beate Zschäpe and Uwe Böhnhardt | [67] |
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 | [68] |
Nölle, Marianne | 1993 | 7 | 17 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Nurse who killed patients in Cologne | [69] |
Plumain, Jacques | 1999–2000 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Known as "The Ghost of Kehl"; Guadeloupean man who killed two women in Kehl and one in the French forest of La Wantzenau | [70] |
Rieken, Ronny | 1996–1998 | 2 | 2 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | First German criminal to be captured via DNA profiling | [71] |
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 | [72] |
S., Tuba | 2016 | 3 | 3+ | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Murdered at least three people in robberies in Düsseldorf and Giessen | [73] |
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 | [74] |
Seel, Manfred | 1971–2004 | 5 | 9 | Died from esophageal cancer | Known as "The Hesse Ripper"; suspected of killing women in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main and other places; died before crimes were discovered | [75] |
Sprungk, Gabor | 2007–2008 | 3 | 3 | Committed suicide while imprisoned | 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 | [76] |
Wenzinger, Gerd | 1991–1996 | 2 | 17+ | Committed suicide before trial | Known as "The Havel Ripper"; tortured, murdered and dismembered prostitutes in Berlin, but also in Brazil | [77] |
Zschäpe, Beate | 2000–2007 | 10 | 10 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Neo-Nazi who killed immigrants throughout Germany, with accomplices Uwe Böhnhardt and Uwe Mundlos | [78] |
Dirk P. | 2012–2013 | 3 | 3 | Sentenced to life imprisonment | Murdered three victims and one survived | [79] [80] |
Name | Years active | Proven victims | Possible victims | Region where active | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 | [81] |
Münsterland murders | 1971–1974 | 4 | 4+ | North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony | Kidnapped and killed at least four hitchhikers in the Münster and Bentheim regions | [82] |
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 | [83] |
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 | [84] |
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 | [85] |
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