Fritz Haarmann, sometimes called the “Vampire of Hanover,” was a German serial killer who earned his nickname by kidnapping, killing, and dismembering young boys and men. Most of his victims were between the ages of 13 and 22. He preyed on the city of Hanover, Germany, throughout the 1920s. According to Morbid Anatomy, Haarmann insisted that he was responsible for up to 70 different murders, though his claims could not be confirmed by investigators, authorities, or historians. However, the 24 homicides he was in fact convicted of were enough to earn him the death penalty.
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At the time, the term “serial killer” wasn’t part of the vernacular (Psychology Today dates it to 1974), so news outlets in Germany had to settle for more poetic labels like “butcher” or “vampire.” As 9 News reports, Haarmann was also in the habit of sexually molesting his victims, adding to his terrifying reputation. The fact that he had a predilection for biting through the throats of the young men he captured, killing them in the process, also contributed to the “vampire” characterization. After a two-week trial that featured no less than 200 different witnesses, the Butcher of Hanover was sentenced to die by beheading beneath the blade of the guillotine. “Condemn me to death. I ask only for justice. I am not mad,” he declared before the court. “Make it short; make it soon. Deliver me from this life, which is a torment” (via The Lineup).
