The Ruhr Hunter (or Ruhrkannibale)

Between 1955 and 1976, Joachim Kroll terrorized western Germany by committing some of the most deranged crimes known to man. He killed at least fourteen people and raped many more. It was clear that the victims were not only victims of murder, but they were clearly murdered by a cannibal. Slices of the victims’ bodies were removed in a manner that indicated that the murderer intended to eat part of the remains.

The Psychological Profile

Kroll was the youngest of eight children, born in 1933. He was considered to be a weak child by people in his community. He also wet the bed often as a child, which would have been very embarrassing. His family suffered from poverty and hunger as a result of the impact World War II had on Germany. His father was a prisoner of war in Russia during WWII which was sad and embarrassing for the family.

Kroll felt sexually inadequate around women his age and as a result he could not have actual conversations with females. This probably had a big influence on why he turned to rape in order to fulfill his sexual desires.

His mother died in 1955, and shortly thereafter, Kroll committed his first murder. If the timing coincidental, we will never know, but it is still an interesting timeline to mention.

The Crimes

Kroll’s crimes included rape and murder by means of stabbing, mutilation, cannibalism, and strangulation. When the victims’ corpses were found, it was clear that large pieces from the buttocks, thighs, and belly had been cut and removed for the purpose of consumption. Almost all of his victims, save for one elderly woman, were young. All of them were female, except for one who was killed by Kroll who was trying to rape his girlfriend. Every victim was raped before she was killed.

There was collateral damage done by Kroll besides the reckless taking of lives. Many other men were accused and even arrested for some of Kroll’s murders and many ended up committing suicide as a result. Authorities only know that Kroll is responsible because he could not stop bragging while he was being questioned by the police.

The End

Kroll’s final victim was a four year old girl named Marion Kettner. She was reported missing from a playground nearby so police went door-to-door trying to get information. Kroll’s neighbor mentioned to the police and interaction he had with Joachim.

“Kroll had warned him that the upstairs toilet in their block of flats was clogged ‘with guts’ and a plumber quickly verified the witness statement.”

Police went over to investigate and found Kroll in the middle of cooking little Marion’s body. He was immediately arrested on the spot. He admitted to thirteen murders and one attempted murder, but he was sentenced for only nine since some of the others already had convictions. He was given nine life sentences to serve consecutively, and Kroll died in prison in 1991 as a result of a heart attack.