Karl Hopf (serial killer)

Karl Hopf
Karl Hopf
Born	26 March 1863; Free City of Frankfurt
Died	23 March 1914 (aged 50); Royal Prison Preungesheim, German Empire
Cause of death	Execution by guillotine
Criminal status	Executed
Convictions	Murder (4 counts); Attempted murder
Criminal penalty	Death
Details
Victims	4
Span of crimes	1902–1906
Country	German Empire
Date apprehended	14 April 1913

Karl Hopf (26 March 1863 – 23 March 1914) was a German serial killer. He was sentenced to death on 19 January 1914 for murdering his wives, father, and daughter, as well as attempting to murder other people, by the Frankfurt jury.

Life

Karl Hopf attended the Musterschule and left after the Untersekunda. He began work as a pharmacist in London and lived temporarily in Casablanca and India. There, he trained in fencing, which he mastered to perfection. At the turn of the century, he ran a kennel in Niederhöchstadt, today part of Eschborn. For one of his dogs, he once received the high sum of 10,000 gold marks upon sale.^[1]

Murders

In 1902, he married his first wife, Josefa Henel, from Niederhöchstadt. She died the same year on 28 November after a short illness. From her life insurance, he received 20,000 gold marks. He then married Auguste Christine, née Schneider, who also began suffering from health problems. She divorced Hopf, left him, and died soon afterward. However, Hopf was unable to collect the insurance of 30,000 gold marks on her. His daughter, Elsa, died in 1906.

In the following years, Hopf appeared in variety shows under the pseudonym "Athos" as a champion in fencing.^[2]

In 1912, he married Dresden native Wally Siewec in London. They insured themselves with 80,000 gold marks "on mutuality." His third wife soon became ill with severe gastrointestinal disease. She was treated at the Deaconess Hospital in Frankfurt, where she began to feel better. The toxicology specialist, Dr. Rossmann, recognized symptoms of severe poisoning and consulted forensic physician Georg Popp.^[3]

Investigations

As a result, a search of Hopf's home revealed large amounts of various highly concentrated poisons, including arsenic, digitalis, and live cultures of typhoid and cholera bacilli. He was arrested on 14 April 1913. Hopf had brought a bottle of cyanide with him, but police seized it from him.

Trial

The trial in front of the jury in Frankfurt lasted from 9 to 19 January 1914 and was very well received by the public. More than 64 witnesses and experts were invited and heard. During the trial, it came to light that Hopf had murdered his father, first wife, illegitimate child, and his daughter Elsa from his second marriage with poison. He secretly, often over long periods of time, poisoned all the victims, mostly hiding the poison in foods and drinks.

In an exhumation of the bodies of all his deceased relatives, the forensic pathologist Popp succeeded for the first time in criminal history in scientifically detecting poison in the bones and body parts.

Execution

After he was sentenced to death, Karl Hopf was guillotined on 23 March 1914 in the courtyard of the Royal Prison Preungesheim.^[4]

External links

References

^ Gerhard Raiss: Karl Hopf, a Mass murderer from Niederhöchstadt, MTK-Jahrbuch 1994
^ 1913, poisoner Karl Hopf, arsenic in champagne, FAZ from June 24, 2017
^ The scientist in the jury^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Hess. Main State Archives, Dept. 407 / Access 68 from 1991. File Hopf

[1] Gerhard Raiss: Karl Hopf, a Mass murderer from Niederhöchstadt, MTK-Jahrbuch 1994

[2] 1913, poisoner Karl Hopf, arsenic in champagne, FAZ from June 24, 2017

[3] The scientist in the jury^{[permanent dead link]}

[4] Hess. Main State Archives, Dept. 407 / Access 68 from 1991. File Hopf

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