A groundswell of support envelops Marianne Bachmeier in the aftermath of the rediscovery of reconstructed footage related to Germany's 'Revenge Mother.'
On the 5th of May, 1980, Bachmeier's daughter was discovered lifeless, a victim of murder. A man, Klaus Grabowski, confessed to the crime, asserting that the seven-year-old had attempted to extort him.
March 6, 1981, marked Bachmeier's retribution, a warning for its distressing nature due to the use of a firearm.
The confessed murderer, Grabowski, aged 35, was Bachmeier's neighbor in Lübeck, West Germany, and worked as a butcher. Following his fiancée's call to the police, Grabowski admitted to the heinous act. It was later revealed that he had kept Bachmeier's daughter captive in his residence for hours before employing a pair of pantyhose to strangle her. The child's body was disposed of by a canal bank, enclosed within a cardboard box. The possibility of sexual assault remained unclear, though Grabowski had a prior criminal record for child molestation.
Contrary to the accused's denial, he contended that he killed the seven-year-old because she allegedly tried to seduce and blackmail him, demanding money and threatening to accuse him of assault if he refused payment. During the trial, Grabowski's defense invoked his prior voluntary castration, citing hormonal imbalances caused by hormone therapy at the time of the murder.
On March 4, 1981, Grabowski's trial commenced at the District Court of Lübeck. Three days into the proceedings, Bachmeier entered the courtroom armed with a .22-caliber Beretta pistol, discharging eight shots, six of which struck Grabowski. Witnesses recounted hearing the mother express her intent to kill the butcher, shooting him in the face. Two policemen testified to hearing Bachmeier refer to Grabowski as a 'pig.' Following the barrage, Grabowski succumbed to his injuries on the courtroom floor.
Bachmeier subsequently faced trial for Grabowski's murder, earning the moniker 'Germany's Revenge Mother.' The justification of her act was widely debated, with questions arising about whether she was justified in avenging her daughter's killer and potential assaulter. Legal debates ensued regarding whether the act constituted manslaughter or murder, contingent on the presence of premeditation.
In 1983, Bachmeier was convicted of premeditated manslaughter, receiving a six-year sentence. Notably, she served only half of her sentence before being released. A YouTube clip of the courtroom reconstruction surfaced on December 26, 2022, drawing an outpouring of support in the comments.
One commenter stated, "As a mom of 3 and grandma to 4, it would take a miracle for me to not have wanted to do the same as her." Another expressed, "We would've all done the same," while a third acknowledged, "This is an iconic mother who went through so much pain and suffering all her life just like her little daughter... more people need to know about her.
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