The Berlin Butcher
@crimestoryy on telegram
Carl Friederich Wilhelm Großmann, a.k.a. "The Berlin Butcher", was a German pedophile-turned-cannibalistic serial killer (possibly prolific), as well as a possible projected cannibal.
Background
Little is known about Großmann's early life, except that he was born on December 13, 1863, at Neuruppin, Germany. It is known that he had sadistic sexual tastes. He had been arrest 25 times, one count of bestiality, and three counts of child molestation (one of them was a girl 7-9-years old who died).
During World War I, he was drafted into the Army, but no details of this are known. He rented a flat where he was loathed by his neighbors and had sex with prostitutes frequently. Neighbors reported that many women went into Großmann's flat, but few ever emerged from it.
He also began selling meat in the black market and also founded a hot dog stand at a train station located near his home; it is presumed that the meat that he sold came from the remains of his victims.
Murders, Arrest, and Suicide
For reasons unknown, Großmann began killing women in Berlin. He was also believed to have kept a diary of his murders. On August 21, 1921, when he was in his early fifties, Großmann was arrested at his apartment in Berlin after neighbors began hearing screams and banging noises, which was then followed by silence. Investigating officers burst into an apartment that Großmann, where they discovered the body of a young woman who had recently been murdered on the bed. He was later taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder. In addition to the body of his final victim, bloodstains were discovered in the apartment, which indicated that at least three other victims had been butchered in the few weeks leading up to his arrest. After a trial, Großmann was convicted of murder, with the intention of being sentenced to death, but before the sentence could be issued, he hanged himself in his cell. He was 58 at the time of his death.
To date (February 2014), the full extent of Großmann's crimes is unknown. Even the final body count is unclear, as only the body of the woman (of his later prostitute murders) was ever found. Although many agree on a minimum of around 26 victims, there were some suggestions that as many as 50 women or more were murdered by him, then dismembered and consumed by unwitting customers of Großmann's meat business.
Modus Operandi
Not much is known about Großmann's murders, since there are very few details. What is known is that he targeted "destitute-looking young women", all of whom were killed by unknown causes. He would then dismember the bodies afterward, scavenge on the meat, and allegedly throw the "useless" parts (bones and other inedible parts) into a local river.
Known Victims
Unspecified dates around 1918: 19 unspecified arrests
Unspecified date: An unspecified conviction for assault
Unspecified date: An unspecified conviction for trespassing
Unspecified dates: Three unnamed children
Two unnamed children (molested; survived)
Unnamed girl, 7-9 (killed)
Unspecified dates: Numerous unnamed children (all molested only)
Unspecified dates: At least three unnamed women
August 21, 1921: "Franziska Schamzkovski/Anastasia" (real name unknown)
Note: Since Großmann died without giving a full confession (he admitted to killing "around 20" victims), and the fact that only the last victim's body was found, the full extent of his crimes is unknown. Some suspect that Großmann killed as many as 50 women or even more.
Notes
Großmann is similar to two other German serial killers with almost the same names:
Karl Denke - Both were cannibalistic serial killers and possible projected cannibals who killed (presumably in Großmann's case) dozens of victims and both committed suicide by hanging in their cells in the early 1920s before they could by properly convicted of their crimes (Denke died before he could be charged, Großmann died before his death sentence could be carried out).
Fritz Haarmann - Both were German pedophiles-turned serial killers and possible projected cannibals who killed (presumably in Großmann's case) dozens of victims and disposed of the 'useless' bones in a river. Both were apprehended in the early 1920s and sentenced to death (though Haarmann was executed while Großmann hung himself before he could be executed).