Karl Denke
Karl Denke | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 22 December 1924 | (aged 64)
Cause of death | Suicide by hanging |
Other names | Father Danke |
Motive | Cannibalism |
Details | |
Victims | At least 42 |
Span of crimes | 21 February 1903 – 20 April 1924 |
Country | Germany (area now part of Poland) |
Date apprehended | 22 December 1924 |
Karl Denke (11 February 1860 – 22 December 1924) was a serial killer from Germany.
Denke was born in Münsterberg, Silesia in the Kingdom of Prussia (now Ziębice in Poland).[1] At the age of 12 he ran away from home; little else is known about his early life. However, in adulthood he worked as an organ player at the local church and was well-liked in his community. Denke quit church membership in 1906.
On December 20, 1924, Denke was arrested after attacking a man at his house with an axe. Police searched Denke's home and found human flesh in huge jars of curing salts. A ledger contained the details of at least 42 people whom Denke had murdered and cannibalized between 1914 and 1918.[2][3] It is thought he even sold the flesh of his victims at the Breslau (today's Wrocław) market as pork.[4]
Two days after his arrest, Denke hanged himself in his cell.
References
- ^ "Centipede: Nice enough to eat; Cannibals of the 20th century". The Guardian. May 20, 1993. p. 12.
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(help) - ^ Corke, Jonathan (December 7, 2003). "Cannibal's victim in cold packs; Exclusive pleased to meat you". Daily Star. p. 21.
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(help) - ^ "Cannibalism: Hard act to swallow; What drives some people to eat others? We examine the body of evidence". The Straits Times. Singapore. December 14, 2003.
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(help) - ^ Robbins, Martin (September 8, 2010). "What does human meat taste like?". Guardian Unlimited.
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Further reading
- Blazek, Matthias (2009). "Karl Denke". Carl Großmann und Friedrich Schumann – Zwei Serienmörder in den zwanziger Jahren. Stuttgart. pp. 133–34. ISBN 978-3-8382-0027-9.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Martingale, Moira (1993). Cannibal Killers: The Impossible Monsters. London: Robert Hale. pp. 34–35. ISBN 0-7090-5034-8.
External links
- Short biography, other short articles: [1] and [2]
- original pictures taken in 1925 were found