Cannibal Cop: Detlev G. Convicted In Bizarre Murder Case


A German police officer identified only as Detlev G. was convicted of murder on Wednesday for murdering a man he met over the internet in a chat board devoted to cannibalism.

Judges in the eastern city of Dresden, Germany ruled that Detlev G. killed a 59-year-old businessman from Hanover in November of 2013 in order “to fulfill his sexual desires.” Prosecutors admitted that the victim, originally from Poland, had his own sexual fantasies linked to cannibalism — he actually desired to be eaten — and that there was no evidence that the suspect actually did eat him.

However, Detlev G. filmed himself dismembering the corpse of his victim. Detlev G. later attempted to erase the video, but police were able to reconstruct the crucial evidence. In the video, Detlev G., who worked as a handwriting expert for the police, could be heard saying, “I never thought I’d sink so low.”

The murder took place at the small hotel the victim owned, located south of Dresden.

At the time of his arrest, police said that Detlev G. was “obsessed” with cannibalism. Witnesses also told police that the victim had fantasized about being killed and eaten since he was a youth. The victim, police claimed, had been tortured before being killed and dismembered, with various body parts being buried in his own garden. Detlev G. met his victim through a website that claims to deal with “exotic meat.” The website has over 3,000 registered users and played a “pivotal role” in the murder, police said.

“The case shows how easy it is for people with the most gruesome fantasies to meet up on the internet,” said Dieter Kroll, Dresden’s police chief.

Initially, Detlev G. told police that he had stabbed the victim in the throat just hours after the two had met in person for the first time, after chatting over the internet for about a month. During his trial, however, Detlev G. claimed that the victim had killed himself.

Police were unable to prove whether any actual acts of cannibalism had taken place, and Detlev G. denies both suspicions of cannibalism and that he committed any crime because of “sexual motivation.”

Inevitable comparisons between this case and the case of confessed German cannibal Armin Meiwes have been made. Meiwes was also arrested for murdering a man he met over the internet, and also videotaped himself killing his victim. He claimed that his victim was not a victim, but had actually answered a posting Meiwes had placed over the internet seeking a young man for “slaughter and consumption.”

Meiwes was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Detlev G., however, has only been sentenced to eight years and six months in prison.

As bizarre as this case is, Detlev G. is not the first “cannibal cop” to make headlines. Read about so-called “Cannibal Cop” Gilberto Valle who, after having his conviction of plotting to cook and eat his ex-wife overturned, joined Match.com and expressed an interest in “cooking” and the need for a “non-judgmental” woman in his life, here.

[Image via MOPO24]

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