In March 1981, a German mother, Marianne Bachmeier , opened fire on her daughter’s killer in court. She became the infamous “Revenge Mother,” and now her case is back on the internet’s radar thanks to resurfaced clips from that year.
She Killed Her Daughter’s Murderer
Bachmeier’s victim was a 35-year-old sex offender on trial for the rape and murder of her then-7 year-old daughter, Anna. Her actions despite being fueled by rage and justified by the German public cost her six years of her life in prison.
RELATED STORIES
Vigilante Justice
A German news outlet, NDR, describes Bachmeier’s case as the most spectacular “case of vigilante justice” in post-war Germany. It left the public torn as people debated whether the grieving mother was justified in avenging her child or if she set a dangerous precedent.
Multiple Losses
Bachmeier already suffered loss before Anna’s death as she gave her older children up for adoption due to her inability to raise them. She ran a pub in Lubeck and used the proceeds to feed Anna and herself.
Why Their Lives Changed
An unfortunate argument between mother and daughter in May, 1980 led to Anna’s evitable death. She’d skipped school in rebellion and caught Klaus Grabowski, a local butcher’s eye. He lured her into his home and sexually assaulted her for hours before strangling her with a pantyhose.
Hiding In Plain Sight
Grabowski did a shoddy job of hiding his crime and stashed Anna’s lifeless body in a cardboard box by a canal. He lived with his fiancé, who noticed something was off and alerted the police. They arrested him within hours and traced the dead body to him.
His Defence Triggered Bachmeier
During his defense, Grabowski insisted he didn’t rape or molest Anna in any way. Instead, he alleged that the child’s threat of accusing him unless he gave her money provoked him to strangle her.
She Shot Seven-Eight Times
His defense also added that his hormonal imbalance (he was castrated) triggered his actions. Upon hearing the infuriating accounts in court, Bachmeier lost her head, pulled her .22-caliber Beretta pistol and shot Grabowski seven-eight times.
Bachmeier Called Him A Liar
The sex offender dropped dead in the courtroom on the sixth shot. Bachmeier’s only regret was shooting Grabowski in the back instead of the face. She admitted to being infuriated by his stories which she tagged lies.
The Country Is Torn – Vigilante Justice Or Revenge?
To date, people still debate the legality of Bachmeier’s crime whether it was murder (premeditated) or manslaughter (unintentional often caused by accident or provocation). The court ruled the latter and sentenced her to six years in 1983.
Bachmeier died in 1996 at 46 of Pancreatic cancer and rests in a grave near Anna’s.
