Thursday, January 15, 2015

Obscure Serial Killers in History


Gilles de Rais (1432-1440) - This French Nobleman was accused of torturing, sexually assaulting and killing over 140 children.  He may have been a bit of a necrophiliac, definitely a pedophile.  Mr. Rais and his accomplices were hanged on October 16, 1440.  I'm guessing the punishment was so minimal due to his high societal status?


Peter Stumpp (The Werewolf of Bedburg) (Germany) (1564-1589)- While being tortured, Mr. Strumpp confessed to the crime of killing and eating 14 children, including his own son, and two pregnant women. Peter was broken at the wheel, beheaded, and subsequently burned.


The breaking wheel (Catherine Wheel) was a horrific Middle Age torture device used for capital punishment in public executions by breaking the criminal's bones until death. It was used in use well into the 18th century.


Peter Niers (Niersch) (566-1581) - A German bandit and reputed serial killer, Peter was put to death on September 16, 1581 based on the acts he confessed to while being tortured along with those who were thought to have assisted him in his crimes against humanity. He was convicted of 544 murders, including 24 fetuses, which were removed from their mother's wombs. Allegedly, the fetuses were extracted for use in black rituals. He was said to be a powerful black magician. He was also convicted of eating some of this victims.


Peter was broken at the wheel as well as quartered alive. To be quartered or "hung, drawn, and quartered", was a fierce capital punishment that was used from around the early 1200's on in which those sentenced were affixed to a panel drawn by a horse to their location of execution, where they were hanged until they almost died, but not quite.


Furthermore, they are not only castrated by, emasculated, which includes removal of their balls. That's not all! They are also disemboweled, beheaded, and lastly chopped into four pieces (quartered). This was a punishment reserved for the worst of the worst and for high treason in most countries.



Queen Anula (50-47 BC) - This former disgraced Queen of Sri Lanka poisoned her own son and four husbands before reigning in her own name for five years, after which she was overthrown and burned alive.  Oh well, I guess she should be grateful she wasn't broken at the wheel or hung, drawn, and quartered.