Germany Grapples with Disturbing Cases of Consensual Cannibalism

Germany has been the scene of two particularly disturbing criminal cases involving consensual cannibalism, highlighting the existence of online communities that cater to extreme sexual fetishes. These incidents, occurring more than a decade apart, involved men who willingly sought out partners to fulfill their fantasies of being killed and eaten.

One such case involved Bernd Brandes, a telecommunications engineer from Berlin, who met Armin Meiwes in 2001 through a defunct website called 'The Cannibal Cafe.' Meiwes, a computer repair technician, had posted an advertisement seeking someone willing to be killed and consumed. Brandes answered the ad, traveling to Meiwes' home in Kassel on March 9, 2001. Brandes had specific requests, including being 'slaughtered' and having his genitals mutilated and shared before his death. He consumed sleeping pills and cough syrup to endure the ordeal. Meiwes, who had prepared knives, a hatchet, and a meat grinder, attempted to fulfill Brandes' request, eventually castrating him. The two men attempted to eat the severed genitals, but they were too burnt to consume. Brandes died shortly after in a bath. Meiwes subsequently dismembered Brandes' body, keeping parts in his freezer and consuming them over several months. Meiwes was eventually caught in 2002 after advertising for a second victim. He was convicted of manslaughter in 2004, but a retrial in 2006 resulted in a murder conviction. A psychologist at the retrial noted Meiwes' continued fantasies of devouring human flesh.

Years later, the case of Wojciech Stempniewicz brought similar grim attention. Stempniewicz, a 59-year-old Polish businessman who used the online alias 'LongpigHeszla,' was killed and partially eaten by Detlev Guenzel, a police forensic specialist. Stempniewicz had spent a year searching online for someone to fulfill his desire to be killed and eaten, communicating with Guenzel, who went by the alias 'Caligula,' through various forums. In November 2013, Guenzel picked Stempniewicz up from Dresden and took him to his bed and breakfast in the Erzgebirge Mountains. Guenzel claimed Stempniewicz died by hanging, but evidence presented in court suggested strangulation. Guenzel then dismembered Stempniewicz's body in his cellar, with a video showing him slicing the corpse while listening to pop music. Stempniewicz's fiancée alerted authorities when he failed to return home. Guenzel was arrested in early 2014, and Stempniewicz's remains were found buried in his garden. Stempniewicz's penis and one testicle were never recovered. Guenzel was found guilty of murder in April 2015. Police also discovered a photograph of Guenzel standing next to a skeleton, holding an axe, and wearing only socks and sandals.