| Intro | Serial killer and organist from germany |
| Was |
Murderer Criminal Serial killer |
| From | Germany |
| Type | Crime |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 12 August 1860, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Death |
22 December 1924, Ziębice, Gmina Ziębice, Ząbkowice Śląskie County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship (aged 64 years) |
Karl Denke (12 February 1860 – 22 December 1924) was a Prussian serial killer and cannibal.
Biography
Denke was born in Münsterberg, Silesia in the Kingdom of Prussia (now Ziębice, Poland), but little else is known about his early life. Denke ran away from home at the age of 12, and in adulthood he worked as an organ player at the local church, and was well-liked in his community. Denke quit his membership in the church in 1906.
On December 20, 1924, Denke was arrested after attacking a man at his house with an axe. Police searched Denke’s home and found human flesh stored in huge jars of curing salt. A ledger contained the details of at least 42 people whom Denke had murdered and cannibalized between 1914 and 1918. It is thought he even sold the flesh of his victims at the Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) market as pork.
Two days after his arrest, Denke hanged himself in his cell.