Today in History: German serial killer Fritz Haarmann was sentenced to death for a series of murders on this day in 1924. He committed sexual assault, murder, mutilation and dismemberment of at least 24 boys and young men between 1918 and 1924 in Hanover, Germany. Haarmann became known as the Butcher of Hanover due to the extensive mutilation and dismemberment committed upon his victims' bodies and by such titles as the Vampire of Hanover and the Wolf Man because of his preferred murder method of biting into or through his victims' throats.
Haarmann actually sold the clothes and meat of his victims to unsuspecting buyers. He was odd but likable, and the police even used him as an informant who frequently gave up other criminals to investigators. It had never occurred to police that the serial killer they were looking for was well-known to them and right under their nose, even though some of the victims were last seen in his company.
At 6 o'clock on the morning of 15 April 1925, Fritz Haarmann was beheaded by guillotine in the grounds of Hanover prison. In accordance with German tradition, Haarmann was not informed of his execution date until the prior evening.
Between 1933 and 1945 Germany used the guillotine to execute 16,500 prisoners, a figure which accounts for 10,000 executions between 1944 and 1945 alone. The guillotine was last used in West Germany in 1949 and was last used in East Germany in 1966. The Stasi used the guillotine in East Germany between 1950 and 1966 for secret executions.
In 1923 alone, almost 600 teenage boys and young men had been reported missing in Hanover.
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