In March 2001 a grotesque case of cannibalism occured in Germany: Some call him the real life Hannibal Lecter. Others call him Germany's very own Jeffrey Dahmer.



German police routinely investigate Internet chat rooms for sex crimes and child pornography. They found posts from a man trying to find voluntary victims for a cannibalistic slaughter romp. Upon further investigation, it turned out that Armin Meiwes, a 41-year-old computer engineer from Rotenburg, had been successful in finding a victim: Bernd Jürgen Brandes.

Allegedly, Brandes volunteered to be slaughtered and eaten by Armin Meiwes. After making contact over the Internet, Brandes visited Meiwes in Rotenburg. They bought a large supply of painkillers and got to work.



They cut of Brandes' erected penis, and ate it together. Then Meiwes slaughtered Brandes in the bathtub, drained his blood, and cut the meat off his bones. He packaged the meat and put it in his freezer. During the following summer, Meiwes barbequed some ribs on the grill in his backyard - Brandes' ribs.

When police found Meiwes, he admitted his act of cannibalism, and did not attempt to flee. He insists his victim volunteered to be slaughtered.