Armin Meiwes is, on the surface of things, an attractive, well-dressed, and seemingly amiable 42-year-old German.
There are mixed feelings about Mr Meiwes
He is also, by his own admission, a cannibal, who three years ago ate an engineer he had found through the internet.
On Friday, a court will decide whether Mr Meiwes should spend just a couple of months behind bars or much of the rest of his life for this.
At stake is whether a person can be tried and imprisoned for murder when his victim had consented to be slaughtered.
....The act of cannibalism is not in itself a crime in Germany, meaning that particular legal avenue was closed to prosecutors.
Instead they opted for a charge of sexually-driven murder, combined with a charge of "disturbing the peace of the dead" - despite the apparently consensual nature of the act.
They are seeking a life sentence for the cannibal, whom they argue poses a danger to society.
The defence, for its part, says Mr Meiwes is guilty of nothing more than "killing by request" - an offence which carries a maximum sentence of five years incarceration.
...German experts say that while there may be hundreds of people with "cannibalistic tendencies" in Germany, only a tiny proportion of those would be willing to see their fantasies through to their fatal conclusion as Mr Brandes apparently did.
...There are fears that should the court punish Mr Meiwes lightly in Friday's ruling, they will unwittingly encourage real cannibals.
Yet if Mr Meiwes is put away for life after Friday's ruling, his defence lawyer has argued, the true horror of murder will be belittled.
Harald Ermel has said that murder "always happens against somebody's will".
Should his client be convicted of little more than killing on request, Mr Ermel advises those planning similar forays into the world of cannibalism to ensure both parties draw up a contract before the act takes place.
posted on January 28, 2004 05:42:13 PM new
Okay, as gruesome as this case is at its core, I laughed out loud while reading it. (And before anyone raises the specter of Jeffrey Dahmer, please note that the "eaten" here was a willing accomplice to his own demise: "In March 2001, Bernd-Jurgen Brandes, 43, answered an advert Mr Meiwes had posted on the internet for a well-built male who was prepared to be slaughtered and then consumed." Meiwes cut off Brandes' penis, cooked it, and the two of them ate it together.)
Perhaps the most chilling aspect of this bizarre case is that Meiwes received dozens of replies to his ad...
posted on January 28, 2004 05:59:38 PM new
I think that the willing accomplice was insane -- along with Mr. Meiwes. Mr. Meiwes should be locked up either in a mental hospital or a prison because he is a danger to society. All of those nuts who are replying to his ads need protection.
posted on January 28, 2004 06:25:49 PM new
Now, he is seeking One million for his memoirs which he has chillingly promised will contain some of his favorite recipes for human flesh. He is also requesting a movie in which he wants Kevin Spacey to play his part.
During the trial a videotape showed Brandes apparently willingly having his penis cut off. Both tried to eat it, but found it "too tough" because Brandes had begun to feel so faint he could not wait for it to be fully cooked - in garlic, salt and pepper.
posted on January 28, 2004 06:27:26 PM new
I have the perfect solution.
Send any of these pups to North Korea to negotiate a settlement with Kim.
He deserves to sit across from them with his silly tactics of shrill accusations.
Kim-
Are patience is noble but it wears thin with the Yankee deceptions. We will never surrender!
Weiwes-
We don't want you to surrender. We want to kill and eat you.
Kim-
Of course we must reach some sort of accomadation.
Weiwes-
To hell with accomadation. Fire up the barbie.
Kim-
Of course we must consider your views too.....
Weiwes-
And don't spare the sauce.
Kim-
In fact I'm sure your side has much merit....
Weiwes-
Damn skinny little things they are - but this one is plump enough.
Kim-
In fact I am authorized to offer an unconditional surrender.
Weiwes-
Wrap it up chubby the coals are catching nicely.
Kim-
We were just kidding about the bombs. Take my translator please...
posted on January 28, 2004 06:47:12 PM newCannibal wanted to get married
Self-confessed German cannibal Armin Meiwes was a "childlike" figure who wanted to marry and have children, two female witnesses testified on Friday (January 9).
The women, who were not identified, gave evidence on the eighth day of Mr Meiwes' trial in the city of Kassel.
They said he had tried to develop a relationship with each of them, but they denied having had sex with him.
Mr Meiwes, 42, has admitted killing and eating Bernd-Juergen Brandes, but says he is not guilty of murder.
Prosecutors accept that Mr Meiwes had his victim's consent, but claim that he killed for his sexual gratification.
The court heard evidence from a 39-year-old woman who described Mr Meiwes as a friendly and sensitive person.
"He came across as being very childlike," she said.
She said she had decided against a relationship with Mr Meiwes when he told her of his homosexual tendencies.
"We never had any sexual contact," she added.
The second witness, a neighbour, also said he had tried to start a relationship with her and told her he was keen to start a family.
A German court has convicted self-confessed cannibal Armin Meiwes of manslaughter and sentenced him to eight years and six months in prison.
Meiwes, 42, admitted killing and eating Bernd Juergen Brandes after sex and hours of sado-masochism but insisted his victim had volunteered.
It has been Germany's most sensational trial for decades.
The verdict falls well short of the prosecution's demand for a 15-year sentence for sexual murder.
They were two deeply psychologically disturbed people who both wanted something from the other
Judge Volker Muetze
The defence had sought a verdict of illegal euthanasia, carrying a far shorter sentence of six months to five years, on the grounds that it had been a "killing on request".
But while rejecting the defence's argument, the court also ruled that Meiwes had had no "base motives" for the crime and settled on a manslaughter verdict.
"Both were looking for the ultimate kick," Judge Volker Muetze told a packed courtroom.
"This was an act between two extremely disturbed people who both wanted something from each other."
Meiwes had not, the judge said, committed a murder in the legal sense "but a behaviour which is condemned in our society - namely the killing and butchering of a human being".
"Seen legally, this is manslaughter, killing a person without being a murderer," he added.
Video killing
Dressed in a dark suit and tie, Meiwes sat impassively as the verdict was read out in court.
Meiwes had a "slaughtering room" in his huge house
The BBC's Ray Furlong says the verdict is a good result for Meiwes.
His lawyer described him as a "model prisoner", and said he could be released on good behaviour by 2008.
Prosecutors say they will appeal against the verdict.
The computer technician killed and ate Brandes three years ago, after placing an advert on the internet.
He told the court in Kassel that it was the realisation of a dream he had had since his school days - when he fantasised about consuming classmates.
Despite this, psychologists said he was mentally fit to stand trial.
His victim, also in his 40s, bought a one-way ticket to the defendant's home village and spent an evening with him, before volunteering to be killed.
Memoirs
The defence had argued that the crime was a form of mercy killing but the prosecution said this did not apply because the victim had been mentally disturbed.
Brandes "asked to be stabbed to death," according to Meiwes
A psychiatrist who testified at the trial said Meiwes had a "schizoid personality" but was not mentally ill.
Investigators found he had been in internet contact with more than 200 people who shared his fantasies.
Meiwes has said he plans to write his memoirs in order to persuade other people with similar fantasies to seek help in time.
Meiwes ate the flesh of Brandes over several months, defrosting cuts from his freezer.
******
Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there --Clare Booth Luce
