ARMIN MEIWES VIDEO KILLING TRIAL

As people here contemplate this appalling case, many ask how such an unspeakable crime was committed in their midst. (voice-over): And these are not just matters for the courts. And perhaps more importantly, the issue of whether the consent of the victim is enough for a killing not to be murder. Cannibalism for instance isn't a crime here, but few doubt it should be punished. (on camera): This hideous crime has, of course, shocked the people of Rothenburg and the whole of Germany, but it also raises important and difficult moral questions as well. The one who wants to kill and the one who wants to be killed.ĬHANCE: It is a crossing of paths many here wish had never been made in their town. You can find one another worldwide with such special traits which correspondent with one another, one who is the more sadistic cannibal, and the other who is a more masochistic cannibal. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The very special situation is made up by the Internet system and technique. A videotape of the two men used in evidence reportedly shows them both eating the severed genitals of Brandes cooked in garlic in the hours before he died.Ĭrime experts say the apparent joint nature of the fantasy makes this a grotesque and truly unique case. But the man he ate, Bernd- Juergen Brandes, appears to have had cannibal fantasies too, asking to be killed and eaten. He admits he is a cannibal and has chilled the German public with accounts of how he butchered and consumed his victim. 'I dread to think what was going on inside his head,' he says.Īrmin Meiwes appeared in court looking relaxed and confident. 'He seemed the most normal guy you could know,' he told me. The details have disgusted and frightened many, like Manfred Schtuck (ph), friend and neighbor for 30 years. Sealed as evidence now, behind these walls a man was slaughtered and eaten like an animal. In the sunlight, the house where Armin Meiwes lived out his cannibal fantasies. MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From a distance, Rothenberg seems picture perfect, but these rooftops have hidden a grisly secret. We begin our coverage with CNN's Matthew Chance. He says it's not murder, though, because his victim wanted to die. He found a willing partner, killed him, chopped him up and ate him. It's certainly a very unusual and compelling story.Ĭomputer expert Armin Meiwes placed an ad on an Internet chatroom called the Cannibal Caf‚, looking for a volunteer to kill.

ARMIN MEIWES VIDEO KILLING TRIAL

But as the number of international journalists covering the trial in Germany demonstrates, there are many people who are captivated by it. I'm Rosemary Church, in for Jonathan Mann.Ĭannibalism is one of human-kinds final taboos. Defense attorneys say he's innocent of murder because his victim volunteered. Germans hear a first-hand account from the cannibal next door, a 42-year- old computer expert who openly admits he killed a man from Berlin and then ate him. ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A disturbing tale. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

Armin meiwes video killing