HANOVER — 1924 · Serial Murder
The "Butcher of Hanover" Case
In the impoverished Germany that followed the First World War, many young men and boys vanished in Hanover between 1918 and 1924, most of them runaways or job-seekers around the central station. When skulls and bones were found along the River Leine in 1924, police put under surveillance a man who was himself a police informant, and arrested him in June 1924. Tried in December 1924 for 27 murders, he was convicted of 24, sentenced to death and executed in April 1925. The case was also criticised for how police had tolerated their own informant.
- Date
- 1924
- Place
- Lower Saxony, Germany, Hanover, DE
- Category
- Serial Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 52.3750, 9.7350 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 1918The disappearances began.
- May 1924Skulls were found on the banks of the Leine.
- 22 June 1924The perpetrator was arrested at the station.
- December 1924Sentenced to death for 24 murders.
- 15 April 1925Executed.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Fritz Haarmann en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Atlas Obscura — The Victims of Fritz Haarmann Memorial atlasobscura.com ↗
- Wikipedia
- Atlas Obscura
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.