MARTFŰ — 1967 · Serial Murder
The "Monster of Martfű" Case
In 1957 a young woman worker leaving the Tisza shoe factory in the Hungarian town of Martfű was murdered. Police detained a colleague of hers who, under pressure, confessed and, despite contradictory statements and weak evidence, was sentenced to death; the sentence was commuted to life on appeal. Meanwhile the real killer remained free and murdered other women in the area during the 1960s. In August 1967 a truck driver was caught through evidence from his vehicle after a murder, and he also confessed to the 1957 killing. The wrongly convicted man was released after 11 years. The real killer was executed in Szeged in December 1968. The case inspired a Hungarian feature film in 2016.
- Date
- 1967
- Place
- Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, Hungary, Martfű, HU
- Category
- Serial Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 47.0200, 20.2800 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 1957A young woman shoe-factory worker was murdered in Martfű.
- 1957Her colleague was convicted on a confession obtained under pressure.
- 1960sThe real killer murdered other women in the area.
- 11 August 1967A truck driver was arrested on physical evidence.
- 1968He also confessed to the 1957 murder; the wrongly convicted man was freed.
- 1 December 1968The real killer was executed in Szeged.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Péter Kovács (serial killer) en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Index.hu — A Kirják-per index.hu ↗
- Délmagyar — A martfűi rém miatt ült ártatlanul delmagyar.hu ↗
- Wikipedia
- Index.hu
- Délmagyarország
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.