A school teacher in Germany is now standing trial over allegations that he murdered and ate another man. The 41-year-old math and chemistry teacher, identified only as Stefan R., reportedly lured a man he met on a gay dating website to his home before he killed and ate him.
The victim, identified as Stefan Trogisch, was a 44-year-old power line technician. Trogisch reportedly traveled to his alleged killer's apartment near Berlin, in the suburb of Pankow, where he was murdered.
Prosecutors accused Stefan of killing Trogisch before cutting him up into small pieces and then eating some parts of his body. He reportedly, then, hid several dismembered parts of the body around the city.
On the first day of hearings held Tuesday, prosecutors said Stefan committed the act to satisfy his "cannibalistic sexual desires." During the entire trial, Stefan remained silent and covered his face from the cameras with a folder.
A secondary school teacher went on trial in Germany on Tuesday on charges of murdering a man and eating him in order to satisfy cannibalistic sexual desires https://t.co/aiEDnnb8xz — The Telegraph (@Telegraph) August 10, 2021
The case closely resembles the infamous cannibal killing perpetrated by a man dubbed the "Cannibal of Rotenburg" in 2001. The case involving Armin Meiwes, a computer repairman, caught the global media's attention due to the bizarre circumstances that led to the incident. Meiwes, who is now serving a life sentence, had killed and eaten a man he met online who allegedly consented to the act.
Video of the victim consenting to his death and consequent consumption was one of the most bizarre pieces of evidence used in the trial. In Stefan's case, prosecutors believe his victim did not give his consent to the murder.
Trogisch's parents were present in court Tuesday. Their lawyer said they only sought to find out what had happened to their son and they are not willing to receive any kind of apology or justification for his death.
Trogisch reportedly disappeared in September of last year. The last person to see him was a taxi driver, who said he dropped him off near Stefan's apartment. Two months later, several body parts were discovered by residents in different parts of the city.
Authorities used sniffer dogs to locate other body parts, eventually leading them to Stefan's apartment. After his arrest, police found evidence such as traces of human blood, a bone saw, and an empty freezer inside his apartment. They also found that Stefan had made repeated online searches for terms related to cannibalism. He was also reportedly a member of several online Cannibal forums.
