Erwin Hagedorn
East German serial killer (1952–1972)
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Key Takeaways
- Hans Erwin Hagedorn (30 January 1952 – 15 September 1972) was an East German serial killer who murdered three young boys between 1969 and 1971.
- The bodies were found two weeks later.
- One of the boys was cut so severely that his head was severed as a result of the rotting of the corpse.
- However, the first investigations were not successful.
- Shortly afterwards the decisive clue came from a boy who reported being sexually harassed in the year before the first murders took place.
Hans Erwin Hagedorn (30 January 1952 – 15 September 1972) was an East German serial killer who murdered three young boys between 1969 and 1971.
Murders
On 31 May 1969, Hagedorn killed two nine-year-old boys, Henry Specht and Mario Louis, in a forest in Eberswalde with a knife. The bodies were found two weeks later. Both victims died from deep cuts to the neck. One of the boys was cut so severely that his head was severed as a result of the rotting of the corpse. Extensive investigations were commenced, with a psychological offender profile being assembled and the Ministry for State Security obtaining documents about the case of West German child murderer Jürgen Bartsch. However, the first investigations were not successful.
On 7 October 1971, Hagedorn killed Ronald Winkler, a 12-year-old boy, in the same area and in the same way he had killed his first two victims. Shortly afterwards the decisive clue came from a boy who reported being sexually harassed in the year before the first murders took place. Erwin Hagedorn was arrested on 12 November 1971 and immediately confessed to the murders. East Germany had abolished capital punishment for juvenile offenders in 1952, meaning that Hagedorn could only face execution for the murder he committed in 1971, when he was an adult.
In May 1972, Hagedorn was convicted of three counts of murder with aggravated circumstances, sexual abuse, and attempted sexual abuse, and was sentenced to death. An appeal for clemency was denied by the Head of State Walter Ulbricht. The 20-year-old Hagedorn was executed by a single shot to the back of the neck on 15 September 1972. His body was cremated and buried in a secret place.
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