Werner Pinzner
German hired killer (1947–1986)
Why this is trending
Interest in “Werner Pinzner” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-02-25.
Categorised under History, this article fits a familiar pattern. Historical topics gain renewed attention when tied to commemorations, documentaries, or current events that echo past episodes.
At GlyphSignal we surface these trending signals every day—transforming Wikipedia’s vast pageview data into actionable insights about global curiosity.
Key Takeaways
- Werner Pinzner (27 April 1947, Bramfeld – 29 July 1986, Hamburg), also called " Mucki ", was a German contract killer who became known as the " St.
- The case had political consequences in the city of Hamburg and is considered one of the most "spectacular" cases in the criminal history of the Federal Republic of Germany.
- Early life Werner Pinzner was born on 27 April 1947 in Bramfeld, the son of a radio mechanic and a grocery chain store manager.
- In 1966 he worked as a driver for a few weeks and then briefly went to sea again.
- He met his first wife shortly afterwards.
Werner Pinzner (27 April 1947, Bramfeld – 29 July 1986, Hamburg), also called "Mucki", was a German contract killer who became known as the "St. Pauli Killer". In 1986, he was responsible for a series of contract killings and gained nationwide attention when, during interrogation at the Hamburg police headquarters, he fatally shot the investigating public prosecutor, his own wife, and himself. The case had political consequences in the city of Hamburg and is considered one of the most "spectacular" cases in the criminal history of the Federal Republic of Germany. Pinzner is also believed to have killed between seven and ten people before the Hamburg police headquarters incident.
Early life
Werner Pinzner was born on 27 April 1947 in Bramfeld, the son of a radio mechanic and a grocery chain store manager. In 1964, after dropping out of school without a degree, he went to sea with the International Christian Maritime Association for two years. In 1966 he worked as a driver for a few weeks and then briefly went to sea again. He attempted to become a regular soldier in the German Armed Forces but failed due to prior convictions. He met his first wife shortly afterwards. In 1970, he was sentenced to imprisonment for the first time, and his daughter was born the following year. After her birth, Pinzner worked as a scaffolder, tiler, and butcher. In August 1975, he took part in an armed robbery at a supermarket, where one of the perpetrators shot the store manager.
Content sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0
