DÜSSELDORF — 1929 · Serial Murder
The "Vampire of Düsseldorf" Case
Between February and November 1929 a series of murders and assaults in Düsseldorf caused widespread panic, and the press dubbed the attacker the "Vampire of Düsseldorf". Months of investigation produced no result. In May 1930 a misdirected letter from a woman who had survived an attack led police to a factory worker's address; he was arrested on 24 May 1930 after confessing to his wife. On 22 April 1931 he was sentenced to death for nine murders and seven attempted murders, and he was executed in Cologne on 2 July 1931. The case is often cited as one of the inspirations for Fritz Lang's film "M".
- Date
- 1929
- Place
- North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Düsseldorf, DE
- Category
- Serial Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 51.2270, 6.7730 ↗
Timeline of Events
- February 1929The series of attacks in Düsseldorf began.
- November 1929The last killings took place amid city-wide panic.
- 24 May 1930Police traced a letter and arrested the killer.
- 22 April 1931He was sentenced to death for nine murders.
- 2 July 1931He was executed in Cologne.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Peter Kürten en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Crime+Investigation — Peter Kurten: The Vampire of Dusseldorf crimeandinvestigation.co.uk ↗
- Wikipedia
- Crime+Investigation UK
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.
Related Cases
More cases from Düsseldorf
More cases from the 1920s
Categories
Collections
🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.