Beate Schmidt (born Wolfgang Schmidt on 5 October 1966) is a German serial killer. From October 1989 to April 1991, Schmidt, who is now a transgender woman, murdered five women and an infant.
Beate Schmidt | |
|---|---|
| Born | Wolfgang Schmidt 5 October 1966 |
| Other names | Pink Giant The Beast of Beelitz Beelitz-Murderer |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | 15 years in prison and detention in a psychiatric hospital |
| Details | |
| Victims | 6 |
Span of crimes | 24 October 1989 – 5 April 1991[1] |
| Country | Germany |
Date apprehended | 1 August 1991 |
Early life
Schmidt was born Wolfgang Schmidt on 5 October 1966 in Lehnin, Brandenburg.
Murders
Schmidt murdered five women and a three-month-old baby:
- Edeltraut Nixdorf, 51, killed on 24 October 1989.[1]
- Christa Naujoks, 45, raped and strangled to death on 24 May 1990.[1]
- Inge Fischer, 34, raped and stabbed to death on 13 March 1991 in Beelitz.[1]
- Tamara Petrowskaja, 44, strangled to death on 22 March 1991. Schmidt struck her son against a tree stump.[1][2]
- Talita Bremer, 66, strangled to death on 5 April 1991 and her corpse was raped.[1]
The nickname the Pink Giant came from both the killer's size and alleged penchant for pink lingerie.[3] The area where some of the crimes took place led to a second and third moniker, the "Beast of Beelitz" and "Beelitz-Murderer".[3][4]
On 1 August 1991 Schmidt was arrested after two men found Schmidt masturbating while wearing a bra under a jacket. Schmidt was sentenced to 15 years in prison and detention in a psychiatric hospital[4] in Brandenburg an der Havel.[5]
21st century
An application for a name change to Beate Schmidt was met by the court in 2001.[5] Since 2009 Schmidt has undergone a hormone treatment for gender reassignment.[5] In 2010, Schmidt was investigated for raping and causing another transgender inmate to attempt suicide.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Friedrichsen, Gisela (November 1992). "Ein Ausholen zum Gegenschlag" [A knock-out to the counter-strike]. Der Spiegel (in German) (45).
- ^ Becker, Claudia (16 July 2013). "Der Serienkiller darf sich ein bisschen frei bewegen" [The serial killer may move a bit freely]. Die Welt (in German). Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ a b Catherine Lupton (1 January 2012). The Phantom Sanatorium: Beelitz Heilstatten. Solar Books. ISBN 978-0-9832480-4-0.
- ^ a b Chalk, Titus; Henze, Jacob & Malmgren, Sigrid (5 May 2011). "The haunted sanatorium of Beelitz". Exberliner. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ a b c Claus-Dieter Steyer: Beate S. statt „Rosa Riese“: Verurteilter Serienmörder durfte Namen ändern. Tagesspiegel, 7. August 2009. (in German)
- ^ "Hat der Rosa Riese wieder zugeschlagen?" [Has the pink giant struck again?] (in German). B.Z. 9 September 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2014.