05/09/2006
German Cannibal Armin Meiwes Gets Life in Prison
A court overturned a 2004 ruling of manslaughter for Armin Meiwes' killing and consumption of Bernd-Jurgen Brandes in 2001 that would have sentenced the cannibal to eight years in prison. Meiwes new conviction of murder will put him behind bars for the rest of his life. Here are the sick details in a nutshell: "The court heard how Brandes had originally replied to a March 2001 internet posting by Meiwes seeking a 'well-built male' for 'slaughter and consumption.' Just over a week later, Brandes travelled to Meiwes's detached house in the central German town of Rotenberg, where Meiwes cut off his penis and cooked it for them to share as a last meal. Brandes had drunk a bottle of schnapps and taken painkillers before the ritual began. After he passed out from loss of blood, Meiwes began cutting him open on his workbench." Since Brandes had responded to Meiwes internet posting, Meiwes' lawyers had tried to get the killer a more lenient sentence, saying it was a "killing upon request." The court didn't buy it.
Posted 12:11 PM EST by Andy Towle in Crime, Germany | Permalink
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Christ on a crutch... that's totally fucking gross.
I wonder how he prepared the penis? I'd imagine that tough tissue like that would require slow-roasting or braising to ensure a tender result. That would make it difficult, given the fact that it needed to be ready in a jiffy before dude passed out. Too bad... his last meal was not only his own penis, it was poorly prepared as well.
Posted by: Brian | May 9, 2006 12:17:11 PM
Bleah. I've always hated German food.
Posted by: Michael W. | May 9, 2006 12:43:28 PM
Besides, everyone knows the best way to serve penis is raw.
Posted by: Michael W. | May 9, 2006 12:44:34 PM
"everyone knows the best way to serve penis is raw"
Hopefully, still attached to a guy.
Posted by: Mike in the Tundra | May 9, 2006 12:57:53 PM
true
Posted by: Michael W. | May 9, 2006 1:16:30 PM
This recipe is taken from The Two Fat Ladies, Full Throttle by Clarissa Dickson and Jennifer Paterson. New York, Clarkson Potter, c1998. If anyone knows where one can find a man with a full POUND of penis, please dear God let me know where he is well before you need to start preparing your dish:
Penis Stew
1 pound of penis
3 tbls. oil
1 large chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
Scald the penis, then drain and clean (doesn't say how you clean a penis. Not sure a guy would know since this penis is, well . . . never mind).
Place the penis in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil.
Remove any scum, then simmer for 10 minutes.
Drain and slice.
Heat the oil in a large skillet.
Add the onion, garlic, and coriander and fry until the onion is golden.
Add the penis slices and fry on both sides for a few minutes.
Stir in the remaining ingredients with a good grinding of pepper, add enough water to cover, and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 2 hours, or until tender.
Add a little water from time to time if necessary to prevent burning.
The ladies say this was originally a Jewish recipe from Marcelle Thomal.
Apparently innards, including penis, once played a major role in Jewish cooking.
Posted by: Brian | May 9, 2006 1:18:52 PM
What Meiwes' did was so foreign, to anyones thinking, it's easier to joke about it than it is to understand it. I couldn't believe he got only 8 years for doing his grisly act. Justice is finally done and he will spend the rest of his life behind bars and eternity in Hell with his comrade Jeff Dahmer.
Posted by: JoeNY | May 9, 2006 1:52:36 PM
I'm all about inquiry, but what's to understand? He was a freak who ate people. It's best that he's in prison forever.
Posted by: Brian | May 9, 2006 3:03:26 PM
Eeeeeeeewwwwwwww
Posted by: Damien Tilden | May 9, 2006 4:21:32 PM
This was a first, a true visceral reaction to something read on a blog. I actually threw up while reading that, thanks, ANDY. After cleaning up, and lying down for a bit, I had to examine why I had such a reaction. Was it my disgust that it seemed to play out like the scene Hannibal, where Anthony Hopkins serves Ray Liotta his own brain? Would I have had the same reaction if the guy wasn't described as "well-built", if he was some 500 lb slob, who never came out from a basement? It actually reminded me of that scene from Naked Lunch, when the Bill Lee Character is befriended by the Extremely Attractive KiKi character, who actually helps his sorry ass out of a bad predicament, only to be offered up to the horrible Eve Cloquet character. When Lee finally goes back into the bedroom, there's this voracious Cloquet Mantis like creature, merging and seemingly consuming the Kiki character. I've only watched that scene once, when it comes on, I leave the room. I believe the Europeans show their innate stupidity for NOT having a death penalty. For surely grisly crimes such as these warrant complete and utter removal from the planet.
Posted by: Chance West | May 9, 2006 5:44:40 PM
Chance West,
Europeans are "innately stupid"? Um...yeah, right.
Posted by: JOE 2 | May 9, 2006 6:43:12 PM
I read that the "victim" had joined a cannibal board and answered an ad because he had a cannibal fetish and fantasised about being eaten alive. Did that turn out to be not true?
Posted by: Chad Hanging | May 9, 2006 11:39:56 PM
Chad Hanging,
I believe it did turn out to be true.
Posted by: JOE 2 | May 10, 2006 2:52:57 AM
Chance,
Europeans stupid? Hmm hardly.
I do blame the German system for not having a law against cannibalism, however that will change as now they have had their Jeffrey Dammer, the presidence is made.
Lets take the log out of our own eye before we mention the splinter in someone elses.
The US has more 45 million without healthcare coverage,higher infant mortality rates, more people in prisons than any Western European nation. Now look where the US dollar has sunk to.
Peace.
Mark
Posted by: mark USA &Scotland | May 10, 2006 8:49:01 AM
If it's true then where is the crime? The victim wanted to be eaten alive and the eater is going to prison? Why?
Posted by: Chad Hanging | May 10, 2006 10:01:40 PM
Chad,
Well, this gets into the whole debate about whether someone has the right to commit suicide or not. It could be argued that the man who wished to be killed and eaten was not of sound mind, psychologically, just as we as a society assume people with Major Depressive Disorder who are suicidal to be not of sound mind and in need of treatment. If that's the case, then Armin Meiwes took advantage of a mentally ill person and murdered him. On the other hand, if we assume that even people with Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, or Schizophrenia have the right to kill themselves, then Meiwes' actions could be viewed as, well, not immoral (although they were still illegal, according to current law). One argument against the right to commit suicide (and I'm not taking any sides here) is that the friends and relatives left behind after a suicide are so wounded by the act as to render it unacceptable. The whole issue is certainly anything but clear-cut.
Posted by: JOE 2 | May 10, 2006 11:12:06 PM
Seems that if we let the "eaten" in this case get off as mentally incapable of making a sound decision when requesting that he be eaten because the act is so horrible why else would he do it then we ought to view the "eater" the same way. In my opinion, the act of eating a human is no sicker than choosing to be eaten. Both the eater and the eaten spent the same amount of time online researching cannibal groups, signing up, sharing their interests, and making the connection, etc. so I don’t understand why we see the eaten as too sick to be responsible for his actions but the eater but not the eater. I don’t think we do. I just think we view his actions as so reprehensible that we make it a crime regardless of whether or not there is really a victim in the scenario, which is made easier by the fact that the “victim” is dead and we can represent his motives as we wish.
On the issue of suicide being unacceptable because it hurts those left behind, sure it does but I'm pretty uncomfortable with relatives making such decisions for other people. We all learned a lesson during the Schaivo case that if you don't want your politicians using your carbon based vessel as a political tool you need to get at least a living will.
I thought suicide was illegal(?) for the same reason we have to buckle our seatbelts. Not because the government can force us to protect ourselves but that our un-tethered bodies could fly out of the windshield and hurt someone else. That’s a rationale I’ve heard. Likewise, is it fair to commit suicide in such a manner as to expose a child or anyone else to the horrible experience of finding your body? I don’t think so. Therefore, instead of forcing depressed people into back alley suicides & bridge jumps let’s give them all a place to go and die with dignity. If you are really serious about dying and nothing you’ve done to has changed your mind, go to the suicide camp where you can die a painless and dignified death where your body will then be put to good use by the harvesting of your organs which should generate enough revenue to pay for the upkeep of the camp and the planning of your funeral arrangements.
Of all the body issues - sodomy, abortion – it seems that taking one’s own life ought to entirely up to the individual but it’s not. In my opinion it had more to do with religion than with creating a culture of life since suicide, sodomy, abortion are all sins.
Make life hard on people and then tell them they can choose their own way out? Damn.
Posted by: Chad Hanging | May 10, 2006 11:55:56 PM
I also think the court's judgment of the eaten as mentally incompetent is really a ruse for the judgment we place on anyone who commits the sin of suicide. Too bad he's not here to argue his case. That would be interesting.
Posted by: Chad Hanging | May 10, 2006 11:58:45 PM
Chad:
"Too bad he's not here to argue his case. That would be interesting."
Hear, hear! I agree; that WOULD be interesting.
Posted by: JOE 2 | May 11, 2006 2:28:05 PM