A notorious serial killer dubbed the “Vampire of Dusseldorf” instilled fear by tormenting and savagely murdering his victims while indulging in drinking their blood. Peter Kürten, already on the radar of German authorities for a history of crimes such as arson and attempted murder, confessed to the killing of a nine-year-old girl in Mulheim am Rhein in 1913 and the attempted murder of a 17-year-old girl in his hometown.
However, it was Kürten’s eerie final words before his execution that left a chilling mark on his legacy. As he faced the guillotine, he chillingly inquired about hearing the sound of his own blood gushing from his neck stump post-decapitation, expressing a twisted pleasure in the thought.
Born into extreme poverty and a violently abusive family in May 1883, Kürten was the eldest of 13 children with alcoholic parents. Enduring a traumatic upbringing in a cramped one-bedroom flat, Kürten’s father subjected the family to brutal physical and sexual abuse, leading to lasting psychological scars.
Kürten’s descent into depravity began early, engaging in acts of bestiality and deriving sexual gratification from violence. His first known murder took place in 1913, followed by a series of gruesome killings over the next 17 years. However, his downfall came when a postal worker intercepted a letter from a victim who survived an assault, leading to Kürten’s arrest.
During his trial, Kürten shockingly confessed to a total of 68 crimes, including nine murders and 31 attempted murders, reveling in the gruesome details of his atrocities. Despite attributing his actions to his traumatic past, he displayed a disturbing fascination with the blood of his victims, earning him the moniker “Vampire of Dusseldorf.”
Ultimately, Kürten was found guilty of multiple murders and sentenced to death. On July 2, his life ended with a beheading at Klingelputz Prison in Cologne, marking the conclusion of his reign of terror.