# Armin Meiwes

> German cannibal

**Wikidata**: [Q57406](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57406)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armin_Meiwes)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/armin-meiwes

## Summary
Armin Meiwes is a German criminal and computer scientist known for the killing and consumption of Bernd-Jürgen Brandes. Born in Essen in 1961, he resided in Rotenburg an der Fulda and worked in the computer science field. He was convicted of manslaughter and subsequently murder, receiving a life sentence for his crimes.

## Biography
*   **Born:** December 1, 1961, in Essen, Germany
*   **Nationality:** Germany
*   **Languages:** German
*   **Education/Training:** Computer Scientist
*   **Known for:** Human cannibalism; the murder of Bernd-Jürgen Brandes
*   **Employer(s):** Industrial or service sector (as a computer scientist)
*   **Field(s):** Computer Science
*   **Military Rank:** Private
*   **Sexual Orientation:** Bisexuality

## Contributions
Armin Meiwes's notoriety stems entirely from his criminal conviction for human cannibalism. The specific acts and legal outcomes include:
*   **Manslaughter Conviction (2004):** On January 30, 2004, Meiwes was convicted of manslaughter by the Landgericht Kassel (Regional Court of Kassel) for the killing of Bernd-Jürgen Brandes. He was sentenced to 8.5 years of freedom deprivation (Freiheitsstrafe).
*   **Murder Conviction (2006):** Following a retrial, Meiwes was convicted of murder on May 9, 2006, by the Landgericht Frankfurt am Main (Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main). The victim was again identified as Bernd-Jürgen Brandes. This resulted in a sentence of life imprisonment.
*   **Additional Conviction:** He was also convicted of "disturbing the peace of the dead" (Eternal peace perturbance) in conjunction with these acts.

## FAQs

**What was Armin Meiwes's profession?**
Meiwes was a computer scientist. In this profession, he would have focused on the theoretical foundations of information and computation, distinguishing him from a computational scientist.

**Who was the victim in the Armin Meiwes case?**
The victim was Bernd-Jürgen Brandes. Meiwes was convicted of both manslaughter and subsequently murder in relation to Brandes's death.

**What legal sentences has Armin Meiwes received?**
Meiwes received an 8.5-year sentence for manslaughter in 2004 from the Landgericht Kassel. This was later upgraded to a life sentence for murder in 2006 by the Landgericht Frankfurt am Main.

**Where is Armin Meiwes currently detained?**
He has been held in Justizvollzugsanstalt Kassel I and Justizvollzugsanstalt Kassel III.

## Why They Matter
Armin Meiwes is a significant figure in the context of German criminal law and internet safety history. His case highlighted legal complexities regarding consent in homicide and the act of cannibalism, leading to a highly publicized legal progression from a manslaughter verdict to a murder conviction. As a computer scientist who utilized the internet to facilitate his crimes, the case also underscored the dark potential of online communities and the "industrial and service sector" landscape of the early internet. His actions have been the subject of extensive media coverage and psychological analysis.

## Notable For
*   **Infamy as the "Rotenburg Cannibal":** Meiwes is known internationally by aliases such as "Der Kannibale von Rotenburg" (The Cannibal of Rotenburg) and "El Caníbal de Rotemburgo."
*   **High-Profile Legal Precedent:** His case is notable for the legal distinction made between manslaughter and murder in the context of a victim who allegedly consented to the act.
*   **Media Presence:** The case has been documented in various formats, leading to entries in film databases (IMDb, TMDB, Film.ru) and extensive Wikipedia coverage across more than 30 languages.
*   **Professional Background:** Unlike many high-profile criminals, Meiwes was a trained computer scientist, a profession defined by the study of theoretical foundations and computational systems.

## Body

### Personal Background and Identity
Armin Meiwes was born on December 1, 1961, in Essen, Germany. He holds German citizenship and speaks German as his native language. He is identified as male and has reported a sexual orientation of bisexuality. His residence is listed as Rotenburg an der Fulda. In the realm of popular culture and true crime, he is frequently referred to by various aliases, including "The Cannibal of Rotenburg," "Meiwes," and specific translations in languages such as Japanese (アーミン・メイウェス), Chinese (阿明·迈维斯), and Russian (Майвес Армин).

### Professional Life
Meiwes is classified as a **computer scientist**. This profession involves the study and practice of computer science, focusing on the theoretical foundations of information and computation. According to occupational classifications (ISCO-08 code 2511), this role is distinct from that of a computational scientist. Computer scientists typically work within the industrial and service sectors. Meiwes also held the military or special rank of **Private**.

### The Crime and Legal Proceedings
The defining event of Meiwes's life is the killing of **Bernd-Jürgen Brandes**. The act was classified by authorities as human cannibalism.

**Initial Trial (2004):**
Meiwes was initially tried at the **Landgericht Kassel** (Regional Court of Kassel). On January 30, 2004, he was convicted of **manslaughter** and disturbing the peace of the dead. For these crimes, he was sentenced to a prison term (Freiheitsstrafe) of 8.5 years.

**Appeal and Retrial (2006):**
The legal proceedings were revisited, leading to a second trial. On May 9, 2006, the **Landgericht Frankfurt am Main** (Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main) convicted Meiwes of **murder** in the case of Bernd-Jürgen Brandes. The court sentenced him to **life imprisonment**, overturning the lighter sentence of the previous trial.

### Incarceration
Meiwes is currently serving his sentence in the German prison system. His place of detention is listed as **Justizvollzugsanstalt Kassel I** and **Justizvollzugsanstalt Kassel III**.

### Records and Identifiers
Meiwes appears in numerous international databases and libraries, reflecting the global interest in his case.
*   **Library and Authority IDs:** His records appear in the German National Library (GND ID: 133432009), the Library of Congress (n2005052678), and VIAF (75041807).
*   **Academic and Research IDs:** He has identifiers in ISNI (0000000078785056), IdRef (147090202), and the JRC Names database (138374).
*   **Media Databases:** He is listed on IMDb (nm2926906), TMDb, and Film.ru.
*   **Wikipedia Presence:** His biography is available in 32 different language editions of Wikipedia, including Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Russian, and others.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4039034)
2. Integrated Authority File
3. International Standard Name Identifier
4. IMDb
5. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
6. Library of Congress Control Number