He had also described himself feeling 'very lonesome' after 'the family had fallen apart'. During sessions with police experts, Meiwes had explained that his desire for cannibalism, related to the fairytale Hansel and Gretel, had developed during his adolescent years. His father abandoned Armin when he was eight, leaving him to be raised by his mother. He had two older half-brothers from his father's previous relationship with another woman. 1.3 Arrest, trial and manslaughter convictionĪrmin Meiwes was born on 1 December 1961, the only child of Waltrud Meiwes (1919–1999).Because of his acts, Meiwes is also known as the Rotenburg Cannibal or Der Metzgermeister (The Master Butcher). In a retrial in May 2006, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. In January 2004, Meiwes was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to eight years and six months in prison. After Meiwes and the victim jointly attempted to eat the victim's severed penis, Meiwes killed his victim and proceeded to eat a large amount of his flesh. Life imprisonment (previously 8½ years' imprisonment)Īrmin Meiwes ( German: born 1 December 1961) is a German former computer repair technician who achieved international attention for killing and eating a voluntary victim in 2001, whom he had found via the Internet. Rotenburg Cannibal, Der Metzgermeister (The Master Butcher)
