Marianne Bachmeier

Marianne Bachmeier (3 June 1950 – 17 September 1996) was a German woman who shot and killed the rapist and murderer of her child, Anna, in an act of vigilantism in the District Court of Lübeck in 1981. The case sparked extensive media coverage and public debate. As a result, Bachmeier was convicted of manslaughter and unlawful possession of a firearm. She was sentenced to six years but released on bail after serving three years. Bachmeier moved abroad before returning to Germany after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She died aged 46 and was buried next to her daughter, Anna, in Burgtor Cemetery in Lübeck.

Marianne Bachmeier
Born(1950-06-03)3 June 1950
Sarstedt, West Germany
Died17 September 1996(1996-09-17) (aged 46)
Lübeck, Germany
Resting placeBurgtor Cemetery, Lübeck, Germany
ChildrenAnna Bachmeier (daughter, 14 November 1972 - 5 May 1980(1980-05-05) (aged 7))

Youth and family

Marianne Bachmeier was born on 3 June 1950.[1][2] Bachmeier grew up in the small town Sarstedt near Hildesheim in Lower Saxony, West Germany, where her parents had fled after World War II from East Prussia. Her father had been a member of the Waffen-SS.[3] She was raised in a conservative home with devoutly religious parents.[3] Her father was the stereotypical authoritative figure, a heavy drinker who spent much of his time at a bar close to the house.[4] Their household was not pleasant, and drinking made her father more aggressive.[4] Her parents were divorced, and her mother later remarried.[3][4] Marianne Bachmeier was perceived as a troubled adolescent by - what she described as - a dictatorial stepfather, and her mother eventually kicked her out of the house.[3][4]

In 1966, aged 16, Bachmeier had her first child, whom she placed for adoption as an infant.[3] She became pregnant again at the age of 18 by her boyfriend.[3] Bachmeier was raped shortly before the birth of her second child.[5] Her second child was also placed for adoption as an infant.[5]

Bachmeier began dating the manager of Tipasa, a bar where they both worked, in 1972.[5][6] She became pregnant for the third time at the age of 22.[5][6] On 14 November 1972, Bachmeier's third child, Anna, was born, and she raised her alone.[5][6] As a result, Bachmeier took Anna to work at the pub, and she was said to never feel a need to rush home after her regular hours behind the bar.[7] In two 1984 documentary films, No Time for Tears: The Bachmeier Case and Anna's Mother, Bachmeier was portrayed as a single mother who worked well into the night and then slept into the day, leaving her seven-year-old daughter on her own during the day.[8][6] Bachmeier was aware of her problematic lifestyle and wanted to put Anna up for adoption.[8] Friends later said that Bachmeier treated Anna like a little adult, and from a young age, she was expected to take care of many things on her own.[7] Anna frequently slept in the bar as her mother partied. According to a friend of Bachmeier's, Anna was a vibrant youngster, who never truly had a pleasant family life.[7][9]

Murder of her daughter

On 5 May 1980, when Anna Bachmeier was seven years old, she had an argument with her mother and decided to skip school.[9][10] On this day, Anna was abducted by Klaus Grabowski, a 35-year-old butcher, whose home she had visited before to play with his cats.[9][10] He held Anna for several hours at his home, sexually assaulted her, and ultimately strangled her with a pair of his fiancée's tights.[11][12] According to the prosecutor, he tied the girl up and packed her in to a box, which he left on the shore of a canal. His fiancée then turned him in to the police.[11][12]

Grabowski was a convicted sex offender and had previously been sentenced for the sexual abuse of two girls.[13] In 1976, he voluntarily submitted to chemical castration, though it was later revealed that he subsequently underwent hormone treatment to try to reverse the castration.[13][14] Once arrested, Grabowski stated that the girl wanted to tell her mother that he had abused her to extort money from him.[15] He said his fear of going back to prison prompted him to kill her.[15]

Vigilante justice in the courtroom

On 6 March 1981, the third day of the trial and around 10 a.m,[7] Marianne Bachmeier smuggled a Beretta 70[16] into the courtroom of Lübeck District Court, room 157, and shot Klaus Grabowski, the confessed killer of her daughter, in the back.[17][18] She aimed the gun at Grabowski's back and fired seven times. Six shots hit him,[note 1] and the 35-year-old defendant was killed almost instantly.[19][15] Bachmeier then lowered her gun, and was apprehend without resistance.[7][19]

Public reaction

The incident is one of the most well-known case of vigilante justice in West Germany.[7][10] It sparked extensive media coverage, and television crews worldwide travelled to Lübeck to report on this case.[11][15] Bachmeier sold her life story for about 100,000 Deutsche Mark to the news magazine Stern. With the fee, she covered her legal costs.[20]

While held in custody, many sent her messages of support, gifts, and flowers to indicate their understanding of her conduct.[3] Nonetheless, there were still individuals who believed that a constitutional state should not condone vigilante justice.[21] In addition, after Stern published her life story, and details about her first two children and her father's connection to the Waffen-SS came to light, public opinion shifted as she no longer appeared to fit the "innocent mother" image.[3][9] The judiciary is criticized by many for enabling a man who had sexually abused two girls to use hormones in order to regain his libido.[7][22] Others accused Bachmeier of having neglected Anna and doubted the authenticity of her grief.[6][22] Nonetheless, numerous individuals openly demonstrate their compassion for the retaliatory action.[7][22]

Sentence for manslaughter

On 2 November 1982, Bachmeier was initially charged in court with murder.[19] Later the prosecution dropped the murder charge. After 28 days of negotiations, the board agreed on the verdict.[5] Four months after the opening of proceedings, she was convicted on 2 March 1983 by the Circuit Court Chamber of the District Court Lübeck for manslaughter and unlawful possession of a firearm.[10][17] The defense's argument that the act was not premeditated was mostly upheld by the court.[7] She was sentenced to six years in prison but was released after serving three years.[10][17]

Moving abroad

Marianne Bachmeier married a teacher in 1985. In 1988, they moved to Accra, Ghana.[9][22][note 2] They lived in a German camp where her husband taught at a German school.[9][22] They were divorced in 1990. After relocating to Sicily, she was employed as a euthanasia aide in a hospice located in Palermo.[7] She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Sicily, and then returned to Germany.[9][22]

Subsequent public coverage

In 1994, 13 years after her act, Marianne Bachmeier gave an interview to the Deutschlandfunk 7 radio.[23] The same year, her autobiography appeared with the German publisher Schneekluth-Verlag.[9] On 21 September 1995, she appeared on the talk show Fliege on the Das Erste TV channel where she admitted to shooting her daughter's killer after careful consideration to enforce the law on him, and to prevent him from further spreading lies about her daughter Anna.[11][22] In an ARD documentary from 2006, a former friend also said that Marianne Bachmeier practised shooting in the basement under Tipasa after Anna's murder.[24] Bachmeier never expressed remorse for her act of vengeance in public.[7]

Death
The grave of Anna Bachmeier and her mother, Marianne, in Lübeck's Burgtor Cemetery in 2008

Before her death, she asked the Norddeutscher Rundfunk reporter, Lukas Maria Böhmer, to accompany her and film the last stages of her life.[25]

On 17 September 1996, Bachmeier died at the age of 46 from pancreatic cancer in a hospital in Lübeck.[5] Her final resting place was next to her daughter, Anna, in Burgtor Cemetery, Lübeck.[5][7]

Plays

In the early 1980s, the Anna Collective, a group made up of Aida Jordão, Suzanne Odette Khuri, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Patricia Nichols, Baņuta Rubess, Tori Smith, Barb Taylor, and Maureen White, began work on a theatre piece about Bachmeier and her vigilante act.[26] A short version of the play premiered in 1983. The completed play, This is for You, Anna, premiered in 1984.[27][28]

Cinema

Documentaries

Books
  • Bachmeier, Marianne (1994). Palermo, Amore mio: [Roman] (in Italian). München: Schneekluth. ISBN 3-7951-1357-1. OCLC 33069444.

See also

Notes
  1. 8 times with seven hitting Grabowski was also mentioned[3]
  2. Norddeutscher Rundfunk says she went to Nigeria[7]

References
  1. Langenscheid, Adrian; Rickert, Benjamin; Löschmann, Stefanie (18 June 2022). True Crime Deutschland 3 Wahre Verbrechen – Echte Kriminalfälle: Ein erschütterndes Portrait menschlicher Abgründe (in German). BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN 978-3-7546-5920-5.
  2. Nordiske Kriminalsaker 1985 (in Norwegian). Lindhardt og Ringhof. 2 January 2017. ISBN 978-87-26-09361-2.
  3. Haas, Nicole E.; de Keijser, Jan W.; Bruinsma, Gerben J. N. (1 December 2012). "Public support for vigilantism: an experimental study". Journal of Experimental Criminology. 8 (4): 387–413. doi:10.1007/s11292-012-9144-1. ISSN 1572-8315. S2CID 255134224. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  4. "Countdown mit Annas Mutter" [Countdown with Anna's mother]. Der Spiegel (in German). 1984. ISSN 2195-1349. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  5. Karomo, Chege (19 January 2023). "Did Marianne Bachmeier go to jail? Her crime detailed". OkayBliss. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  6. Driest, Burkhard, ed. (1984), Annas Mutter [Anna's Mother] (in German), MUBI, archived from the original on 6 October 2022, retrieved 2 February 2023
  7. "Der Fall Marianne Bachmeier: Selbstjustiz einer Mutter" [The case of Marianne Bachmeier: Vigilante justice of a mother]. Norddeutscher Rundfunk (in German). 20 January 2023. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  8. Bohm, Hark (1984). "Der Fall Bachmeier - Keine Zeit für Tränen | filmportal.de" [The Bachmeier case - no time for tears]. Filmportal. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  9. Köpcke, Monika (6 March 2006). "Rache im Gerichtssaal" [Revenge in the courtroom]. Deutschlandfunk (in German). Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  10. "Kalenderblatt: 2.3.1983 Justiz und Selbstjustiz" [Calendar sheet: 2.3.1983 justice and self-justice]. Der Spiegel (in German). 2 March 2008. ISSN 2195-1349. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  11. Bilderbeck, Poppy (31 December 2022). "Mother who got her revenge by firing seven shots in front of packed courtroom". UNILAD. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  12. ""Ich schäme mich, ich schäme mich so": Gerhard Mauz zum Fortgang des Strafverfahrens gegen Marianne Bachmeier in Lübeck" ["I'm ashamed, I'm so ashamed": Gerhard Mauz on the progress of the criminal proceedings against Marianne Bachmeier in Lübeck]. Der Spiegel (in German). 3 January 1982. ISSN 2195-1349. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  13. ""Ohne kollegiale Rücksichtnahme": Spiegel-Reporter Gerhard Mauz im Prozeß gegen Marianne Bachmeier in Lübeck" [»Without collegial consideration«: SPIEGEL reporter Gerhard Mauz in the trial of Marianne Bachmeier in Lübeck], Der Spiegel, 7 November 1982, ISSN 2195-1349, archived from the original on 13 December 2022, retrieved 2 December 2021
  14. "Marianne Bachmeier; "Revenge Mother" Who Shot her Daughter's killer". 29 April 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  15. Ishak, Natasha (2 February 2021). "Meet The German 'Revenge Mother' Who Shot Her Daughter's Killer In The Middle Of His Trial". All That's Interesting. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  16. "Museen Nord: Pistole" [Unseen Nord: Gun]. UNSEEN NORD (in German). Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  17. Hilger, Maternus (3 June 2021). "Berühmter Kriminalfall: Marianne Bachmeier tötet Mann im Gericht" [Revenge of a mother When Marianne Bachmeier killed her daughter's murderer]. Express (in German). Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  18. "Die spektakulärsten Kriminalfälle: Dem Verbrechen auf der Spur, Teil 2" [The most spectacular criminal cases: On the trail of crime, part 2]. Der Spiegel (in German). 22 July 2015. ISSN 2195-1349. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  19. Evans, Stephen (5 February 2014). "The Nazi murder law that still exists". Berlin: BBC News. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  20. Helbing, Britta (2008). "Geistiges Eigentum an Straftaten — Die Vermarktung von Straftaten". Zeitschrift für Rechtspolitik (in German). 41 (8): 267–268. ISSN 0514-6496. JSTOR 23429781. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  21. Aufgeklärt – Spektakuläre Kriminalfälle Folge 1: Wenn Frauen töten: Marianne Bachmeier [Clarified - Spectacular criminal cases Episode 1: When women kill: Marianne Bachmeier] (in German), 22 December 2017, archived from the original on 2 February 2023, retrieved 2 February 2023
  22. Gramberg, Michael (17 April 2006). "Die Rache der Marianne Bachmeier" [The revenge of Marianne Bachmeier]. Das Erste (in German). Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  23. "Selbstjustiz einer Mutter: Der Fall Marianne Bachmeier" [Vigilante justice of a mother: The case of Marianne Bachmeier]. Der Spiegel (in German). 6 July 1993. ISSN 2195-1349. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  24. Die großen Kriminalfälle (Staffel 5, Folge 6): Die Rache der Marianne Bachmeier [(Season 5, Episode 6) The revenge of Marianne Bachmeier] (in German), 17 April 2006, archived from the original on 2 February 2023, retrieved 2 February 2023
  25. Böhmer, Lukas Maria, ed. (1996), "NDR xx.xx.1996 Das Langsame Sterben Der Marianne Bachmeier" [The slow death of Marianne Bachmeier], YouTube, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, archived from the original on 1 February 2023, retrieved 5 February 2023
  26. Filewood, Alan, ed. (1993). "This is For You, Anna: A spectacle of revenge". The CTR Anthology: Fifteen Plays from Canadian Theatre Review. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781442658226. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2022 – via Google Books.
  27. Scott, Shelley (2010). Nightwood Theatre: A Woman's Work is Always Done. Athabasca University Press. pp. 51, 232–233. ISBN 9781897425558. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2022 – via Google Books.
  28. Wilson, Alec (2 March 2015). "This is for you, Anna". The Varsity. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.

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