M. Martyr
Sadist, Peter Kürten Was Born In Köln-Mullheim
Sadist, Peter Kürten was born in Köln-Mullheim, a suburb of Cologne, Germany on May 26, 1883. He was the oldest of thirteen children and his family lived in extreme poverty in a small one-room apartment. His father was an abusive alcoholic who inflicted both physical and sexual violence on Kürten and his mother and siblings. This environment of daily abuse likely had a significant impact on Kürten’s development. At the age of nine, Kürten formed an unhealthy relationship with a dog-catcher who lived in the same building and introduced him to bestiality, starting with dogs.
Kürten claimed to have drowned two school friends when he was just nine years old. He pushed one overboard and held both under water until they suffocated. The incident was initially believed to be a tragic childhood accident. As he grew older, his interest in bestiality expanded to include sheep, goats, and other farm animals. Kürten also took pleasure in stabbing the animals during intercourse.
Peter Kürten was born on May 26th, 1883 in Köln-Mullheim, a suburb of Cologne, Germany. He grew up in extreme poverty as the eldest of thirteen children in a one-room apartment that he shared with his abusive alcoholic father and abused mother and siblings. The constant abuse and exposure to sexual violence likely had a profound impact on Kürten’s development. At the age of nine, Kürten formed an unhealthy relationship with a dog-catcher who lived in the same building, and the man introduced him to bestiality, starting with dogs.
Peter Kürten’s descent into depravity began early. As he matured sexually, his interest in bestiality extended from dogs to sheep, goats, and other farm animals. He found particular pleasure in stabbing the animals during intercourse. Kurten’s criminal record began at age 16 with petty crimes, which necessitated his escape from home to avoid the violence at home. Kurten’s father was later jailed for incestuous relations with the boy’s 13-year-old sister.
Over the following years, Kurten served several short-term prison sentences for various offenses, which only fuelled his sadistic tendencies. His tendency to turn his brutality from animals to humans became evident in prison. The conditions within the prisons he inhabited confirmed his sadistic tendencies, which he now transferred to his fellow humans. With each stint in solitary confinement, Kurten’s rage against society and capacity for depravity increased. He discovered a fascination for brutal sexual acts during such confinement that enhanced his fantasies. So much so that he went on to break prison rules to ensure maximum time in solitary confinement.
An Evil Killer Who Loved His Wife
During his reign of terror, Kürten maintained an emotional attachment to his wife. However, with the police knowing his identity and anticipating his arrest for the rape of Budlick, he devised a plan to ensure her financial security following his capture. Kürten confessed to his wife that he was indeed the “Dusseldorf Vampire,” detailing all of the killings and attacks he had committed.
He urged her to turn him over to the authorities and promised she would be rewarded handsomely for doing so. On May 24, 1930, Frau Kurten reluctantly carried out his advice. She took the police to a local church, where she had arranged to meet Kürten for his surrender. Without resistance, Kürten surrendered to the police- bringing an end to his deadly spree and sparking intense media interest in his case.
After his arrest, Kürten proved to have an astonishingly precise memory of his string of crimes. He provided a detailed account to Professor Karl Berg, a prominent psychologist. The professor later released the confession in a book entitled “The Sadist.” Kürten claimed responsibility for 79 individual acts of crime – showcasing his urge to convince the authorities of his guilt.
Perhaps he hoped that showing full cooperation would ensure maximum financial benefit for his wife. His exceptional memory and eagerness to recount each offense provided him immense pleasure, but those who transcribed his account found it distasteful. It was apparent in Kürten’s “action-replay” of every crime that he had committed, reliving each moment with a sense of perverse joy.
The Crimes
Before his first documented murder, Kürten was responsible for several sexual assaults during his periods of release between prison terms. The victim, 10-year-old Christine Klein, was sexually assaulted and stabbed to death in her Cologne home on May 25, 1913, while her parents worked in their pub below her bedroom. Her uncle – who had argued with Christine’s father prior to the incident – was initially suspected of murder. Kürten returned to the area the next day, fascinated by the horror that the killing had invoked in locals – particularly after details of sexual assault emerged. Fortunately, the innocent uncle was cleared due to a lack of evidence. However, Kürten followed the trial closely and savored the thought of others’ suffering.
Kürten was conscripted into military service during World War I but did not handle military discipline well. He deserted from his barracks and was imprisoned until 1921 – longer than any previous sentence he had received. His rage grew as a consequence of this “injustice.” Upon his release from prison, Kürten relocated to Altenburg where he met and married a former prostitute – jailed for the murder of her fiancé. For four years, he lived a relatively ordinary life working as a moulder, following in his father’s footsteps, and even became active within trade unions.
Peter Kürten, also known as the “Vampire of Düsseldorf,” committed several sexual assaults during his periods of release between prison terms. However, his first documented murder was of 10-year-old Christine Klein, who was sexually assaulted and stabbed in her Cologne home on May 25, 1913. The crime occurred while her parents worked in the pub below their daughter’s bedroom.
Initially, Christine’s uncle fell under suspicion as he had recently had an argument with the girl’s father. However, Kürten soon became interested in the case, returning to the scene of the crime a day later. He was “enthralled” by the horror that the grisly killing – particularly the sexual assault – had evoked in locals. Though Christine’s innocent uncle was cleared of suspicion due to lack of evidence, Kürten avidly followed his trial. Such events seemingly whetted his sadistic appetite for inflicting suffering on others. With the outbreak of World War I, Kürten, too, was called up for service. However, military life didn’t suit him, and he deserted from his barracks.
When he was later caught, he received his longest sentence to date – remaining incarcerated until 1921. His rage at what he saw as an “injustice” swelled. Once released from prison, Kürten moved to Altenburg where he met and married a former prostitute who had been jailed for murdering her fiancé. For four years, the couple lived a relatively ordinary life. Kürten found work as a moulder, a profession followed by his father before him, and became active in the trade union.
“In the case of Ohliger, I also sucked blood from the wound on her temple, and from Scheer from the stab in the neck. From the girl Schulte I only licked the blood from her hands. It was the same with the swan in the Hofgarten. I used to stroll at night through the Hofgarten very often, and in the spring of 1930 I noticed a swan sleeping at the edge of the lake. I cut its throat. The blood spurted up and I drank from the stump and ejaculated.”
From the confessions of Peter Kürten
Peter Kürten relished in the mass panic and fear he caused, fueled by the press attention he received for his crimes. In his latest act, on November 9, 1929, Kürten contacted a newspaper to provide a map pinpointing the location of his most recent victim, five-year-old Gertrude Albermann. Two days prior, Kürten had sexually assaulted Albermann before stabbing her to death and leaving her body under some builders’ rubble. Despite attacks continuing into the winter of 1929 and spring of 1930, none proved fatal. However, survivor accounts provided lurid headlines for newspapers amid the economic downturn of the Great Depression, and public outcry over authorities’ failure to catch the killer reached fever pitch.
Events surrounding Kürten’s eventual capture began on May 14, 1930. He offered lodging to unemployed Maria Budlick, but when she refused his advances, Kürten took her to a nearby forest where he raped her before releasing her. Initially hesitant to report the attack, Budlick unwittingly sent a letter about the incident to a friend which was intercepted. Police intervened, convincing Budlick to press charges against Kürten. She guided officers to Kürten’s apartment on May 21, where they spotted him before he fled the scene.
Nine Death Sentences: Hemet His End Before A Guillotine On July 2, 1931
Peter Kürten stood trial on April 13, 1931, facing charges for nine murders and seven attempted murders. Despite outward appearances as a successful businessman, decked out in tailored attire, he initially retracted his confessions, stating he only hoped to secure his wife’s financial stability. However, the examining magistrate subjected Kürten to extensive questioning and presented damning evidence over two months, eventually breaking the accused murderer.
Placid and unemotional, Kürten placed blame on his childhood and the German penal system for triggering his sadistic proclivities. He showed no remorse for his heinous actions. After 90 minutes of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of guilty on all charges against Kürten. The serial killer received nine death sentences and met his end before a guillotine on July 2, 1931.
Split Open His Head And Dissected His Brain
Before he died, he confessed to nearly 70 other crimes, including rapes, arsons and killings. So hideous were Kürten’s actions that scientists split open his head and dissected his brain, searching for an anatomical abnormality to explain such evil. They found nothing. Physically, Kürten appeared to be an ordinary human being.
“After my head has been chopped off, will I still be able to hear, at least for a moment, the sound of my own blood gushing from the stump of my neck? That would be the pleasure to end all pleasures.”
Peter Kurten before beheading….
