Olaf Däter

Olaf Däter (born September 25, 1969 in Bremerhaven ) is a German serial killer and became known in the print media as the “serial killer of Bremerhaven” or “grandma killer”.

Life

Olaf Däter was born out of wedlock and adopted by his stepfather at the age of one . He grew up as an only child . Until his arrest, he kept in close contact with his parents, who supported him financially in the frequently occurring emergencies. At the time of the series of murders, he lived in their immediate vicinity.

Däter completed his school education with the secondary school leaving certificate and then, after unsuccessful application attempts, committed himself to an apprenticeship as a nurse for eight years in the armed forces . There he reported to a medical unit and at the end of his military career held the rank of sergeant major . Subordinate soldiers described him as imperious and meticulous about order. Following his military career, the Bundeswehr made it possible for him to train as a nurse in Cuxhaven . Däter married after completing his military service, but the marriage was divorced after a year.

The series of murders in June 2001

At the time of his murder, Däter was in debt because he had a penchant for luxury new cars, and he had befriended a prostitute shortly before the series of murders . He tried to impress him with an expensive lifestyle.

In June 2001, the multiple murderer was arrested by the police in front of his parents' apartment in Bremerhaven. He had previously murdered five older women within ten days and then robbed several of his victims. The sixth attacked survived only because the perpetrator misinterpreted the impotence of his victim as an accomplished killing.

When this woman's son called her, Däter was still at the victim's house. He picked up the receiver and immediately hung up. After the suspicious son found his mother unconscious shortly after the crime and the woman came to, the police were notified. The victim could name the perpetrator. After his arrest, it turned out that he had murdered another elderly lady on the same day. After these two acts, he invited his girlfriend and her child to a private flight over the East Frisian Islands and Heligoland with the money he had stolen . When he returned, the police were already waiting for him, as there were already suspicions of murder against him. The four previous victims were only recognized as murder victims after his confession, since all doctors wanted to have recognized a natural death as the cause of death during their examination .

Däter had previously worked as a nurse or geriatric nurse for his later victims and thus enjoyed their trust, which enabled him to access the crime scenes without resistance. Immediately before the start of the series of murders, Däter had been terminated without notice by his Bremerhaven employer ( ASB ) for misappropriating patient funds. His previous employment in Cuxhaven had been dismissed him for the same reason, its relevant previous conviction concealed Däter when it was presented in Bremerhaven and was, this time even employed by the same employer in a leading position.

After entering the apartments of his former patients, he ambushed the defenseless women from behind and then suffocated them. During these acts he also used his corpulence by kneeling on his victims, while the older women suffered severe internal injuries. The signs of these acts of violence were overlooked by the general practitioners during the examinations, so that after this series of murders was cleared up in the media, an intensive discussion about undiscovered murders ensued and an additional investigation by forensic doctors is now routinely initiated in many places. Although the murders were planned as robbery, Däter left some crime scenes with no prey because he was disturbed by the ringing of other nurses. The booty turned out to be small. The robbery only stole cash; He left jewelry and other valuables untouched.

Judicial aftermath

The confessed Olaf Däter was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Bremen Regional Court . The court because most fraudulent treachery , the special weight of the debt established. As a motive for his actions, he gave money shortage, his debts were in the upper five-digit range at the time of the murders. When he was interrogated by the police, he assured that he would have continued his series of murders if he had not been arrested.

reception

The Däter case was broadcast by ARD in the series The large criminal cases in the episode Der Oma-Mörder von Bremerhaven [Season 7; Episode 35].

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Der Spiegel : The Case of the Grandma Killer from December 15, 2008 (accessed April 8, 2014)
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} ARD : The Granny Murderer of Bremerhaven (accessed on October 27, 2013)