Karl Denke
The Cannibal of Ziębice, Vatter Denke
Active for 16 years
(1909-1924) in Germany
42
CONFIRMED
VICTIMS
42
POSSIBLE
VICTIMS
Jump to:
- Summary
- Serial Killer Profile
- Serial Killer Type
- General Information
- Characteristics
- Childhood
- Cognitive Ability
- Incarceration
- Death
- 8 Timeline Events
- Serial Killers Active During Spree
- Boolean Statistical Questions
- 12 Books Written About Karl Denke
- 5 External References
- Internal References
Karl Denke a Prussian serial killer and cannibal who killed and cannibalized dozens of homeless vagrants and travelers from 1903-1924. Denke a 19th Century axe murdering cannibal The cannibal of Ziębice also known as Karl Denke mainly targeted travelers, he would skin and cure his victims to make leather products to sell off at the local market as well as door to door. An escaped victim, reporting that Denke had tried to murder him with an axe, lead authorities to Denke's house. Evidence of multiple acts of murder and cannibalism was reportedly found. One piece of evidence mentioned was a ledger of victims that held 42+ details about unique previous victims. Karl Denke was born on August 12, 1870 (See External Reference #4), as the second son of a relatively likely farmer in the village of Lower Silesia (the name could not be determined).
Karl Denke Serial Killer Profile
Serial Killer Karl Denke (aka) The Cannibal of Ziębice, Vatter Denke, was active for 16 years between 1909-1924, known to have ( 42 confirmed / 42 possible ) victims. This Serial Killer was active in the following countries: Germany
Karl Denke was born on August 12th 1870 in Oberkunzendorf, Münsterberg, Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia. Denke had multiple brothers. His father, a farmer, deceased, Karl (Age 25).
Denke a male citizen of Germany.
In 1909 (Age 38/39) Karl Denke started his killing spree, during his crimes as a serial killer he was known to commit acts of cannibalism, mutilate, and murder his victims. At the time of his crimes he was living with himself, a house at Teichstrasse No. 10 (now Stawowa). It was a gray, one-story building. Denke occupied the flat on the ground floor on the right, he rented the rest of the rooms., where Denke was known to work as a criminal, murderer, serial killer.
He was arrested on December 20th 1924 (Age 54), sentenced to never tried committed suicide in cell (hanging) at Münsterberg, Poland (Breslau, Germany at the time).
Karl Denke died on December 20th 1924 (Age 54), cause of death: suicide, suicide in jail cell (hanging) at Münsterberg, Poland (Breslau, Germany at the time). Karl Denke committed suicide on December 20th 1924 (Age 54).
Profile Completeness: 56%
serial killers by profile completenessKarl Denke has been listed on Killer.Cloud since November of 2016 and was last updated 5 years ago.
Karl Denke a known:
( 651 killers ) SERIAL KILLER
The unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events. Serial Killer as defined by the FBI at the 2005 symposium.
( 43 killers ) CANNIBAL
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh or internal organs of other human beings. Serial Killer Cannibals have been known to have ate a piece of their victim(s) body.
Karl Denke
Serial Killer Profile:
Updated: 2019-06-27 Collected by Killer.Cloud
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Karl Denke |
| Nickname: | The Cannibal of Ziębice, Vatter Denke |
| Victims: | 42 - 42 |
| Years Active: | 1909 - 1924 |
| Ages Active: | 38/39 - 53/54 |
| Active Countries: | Germany |
| Life Span: | 1870 - 1924 |
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Citizenship: | Germany |
| Sexual Preference: | N/A |
| Astrological Sign: | ♌ Leo Jul 23 - Aug 23 |
| Birth Month: | August |
| Marital Status: | N/A |
| Children: | N/A |
| Living With: | himself, a house at Teichstrasse No. 10 (now Stawowa). It was a gray, one-story building. Denke occupied the flat on the ground floor on the right, he rented the rest of the rooms. |
| Occupation: | criminal, murderer, serial killer |
| Childhood Information | |
|---|---|
| D.O.B.: | Aug 12, 1870 |
| Family Name: | Denke |
| Given Name: | Karl |
| Birth Location: | Oberkunzendorf, Münsterberg, Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Birth Order: | N/A |
| Siblings: | multiple brothers |
| Raised By: | N/A |
| Birth Category: | N/A |
| Mother: | N/A |
| Father: | a farmer, deceased, Karl (Age 25) |
| Cognitive Ability | |
|---|---|
| IQ: | N/A |
| Highest School: | N/A |
| Highest Degree: | |
| Incarceration | |
|---|---|
| Arrested: | Dec 20, 1924 (Age 54) |
| Convicted: | N/A |
| Sentence: | never tried committed suicide in cell (hanging) |
| Prison Location: | Münsterberg, Poland (Breslau, Germany at the time) |
| Executed: | N/A |
| Previous Crimes: | N/A |
| Previous Jail: | N/A |
| Previous Prison: | N/A |
| Death Information | |
|---|---|
| Death Date: | Dec 20, 1924 (Age 54) |
| Manner of Death: | suicide |
| Cause of Death: | suicide in jail cell (hanging) |
| Death Location: | Münsterberg, Poland (Breslau, Germany at the time) |
| Killed In Prison: | FALSE |
| Suicide: | TRUE |
8 Timeline Events of Serial Killer
Karl Denke
The 8 dates listed below represent a timeline of the life and crimes of serial killer Karl Denke. A complete collection of serial killer events can be found on our Serial Killer Timeline.
| Date | Event Description |
|---|---|
| Aug 12 1870 | Karl Denke was born in Oberkunzendorf, Münsterberg, Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia. #18700812 |
| Aug 12 1890 (Age 20) | 20th Birthday |
| Aug 12 1900 (Age 30) | 30th Birthday |
| 1909 (Age 38/39) | Karl Denke started his serial killing spree. #1909 |
| Aug 12 1910 (Age 40) | 40th Birthday |
| Aug 12 1920 (Age 50) | 50th Birthday |
| 1924 (Age 53/54) | Karl Denke ended his serial killing spree. #1924 |
| Dec 20 1924 (Age 54) | Karl Denke arrested. #19241220 |
| Dec 20 1924 (Age 54) | Karl Denkedied.cause of death:suicide,suicide in jail cell (hanging)at Münsterberg, Poland (Breslau, Germany at the time). #19241220 |
Back to top Serial Killers Active During
The following serial killers were active during the same time span as Karl Denke (1909-1924).
Serial Killers By Active Year
| 8 / 40 ANSWEREDSerial Killer Boolean Questions: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killer Question | Killer Answer | Total Answered | ||
| suicide | TRUE | 225 | ||
| used weapon | TRUE | 453 | ||
| mutilated | TRUE | 447 | ||
| ate part of body | TRUE | 451 | ||
| killed in prison | FALSE | 218 | ||
| used gun | FALSE | 451 | ||
| rape | FALSE | 453 | ||
| sex with body | FALSE | 430 | ||
Books that Mention Karl Denke
Peter Vronsky
Serial Killers
Tom Philbin
Killer Book of Serial Killers
Jack Rosewood
The Big Book of Serial Killers
Moira Martingale
Cannibal Killers
Daniel Diehl
Eat Thy Neighbour
Maria Tatar
Lustmord
Christine Quigley
The Corpse
Philip Jenkins
Using Murder
12 Books that mention Serial Killer
Karl Denke
| ISBN10 | Book Title | Author | Killers Mentioned | Killers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1101204621 | Serial Killers | Peter Vronsky | 19 Total Including Edgecombe County Serial Killer | 19 |
| 1402226470 | Killer Book of Serial Kil... | Tom Philbin | 17 Total Including Andrei Chikatilo | 17 |
| 1548119644 | The Big Book of Serial Ki... | Jack Rosewood | 60 Total Including Duke Pierson | 60 |
| 0312956045 | Cannibal Killers | Moira Martingale | 4 Total Including Joachim Georg Kroll | 4 |
| 0752486772 | Eat Thy Neighbour | Daniel Diehl | 3 Total Including Marc Sappington | 3 |
| 0691015902 | Lustmord | Maria Tatar | Karl Denke | 2 |
| 0786424494 | The Corpse | Christine Quigley | Karl Denke | 2 |
| 0202305252 | Using Murder | Philip Jenkins | Karl Denke | 2 |
| 190779591x | Extreme Evil | 3 Total Including Phil Clarke | 6 Total Including Joachim Georg Kroll | 6 |
| 1547094761 | Cannibal | Nathan Hayes | Karl Denke | 1 |
| 0766072835 | Cannibal Serial Killers | Nicki Peter Petrikow... | 5 Total Including Tsutomu Miyazaki | 5 |
| 147661377x | The Corpse | Christine Quigley | Karl Denke | 2 |
Karl Denke (February 12, 1860-February 22, 1924) was a Prussian serial killer and cannibal who killed and cannibalized dozens of homeless vagrants and travelers from 1903-1924. He is often regarded as "The Forgotten Cannibal", or "The Cannibal of Ziebice".
External References
- Karl Denke on en.wikipedia.org, Retrieved on Oct 2, 2018.
- Juan Ignacio Blanco, Karl DENKE on murderpedia.org, Retrieved on Oct 2, 2018.
- Karl Denke on de.wikipedia.org, Retrieved on Oct 2, 2018.
- Dr. Lucyna Biały, Mass Murderer and Cannibal Karl Denke on www.bibliotekacyfrowa.pl, Retrieved on Oct 2, 2018.
- Q62801 on www.wikidata.org, Retrieved on Oct 17, 2018.
Internal References
Karl Denke is included in the following pages on Killer.Cloud the Serial Killer Database
- #2 of 20[ Page 1 ] of Serial Killers active in Germany
- #2 of 40[ Page 1 ] of Serial Killers with birthdays in August
- #4 of 43[ Page 1 ] of Serial Killer Cannibals sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #4 of 46[ Page 1 ] of Leo Serial Killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #18 of 651[ Page 2 ] of serial killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #95 of 651[ Page 7 ] of serial killers sorted by Years Active
- #126 of 651[ Page 9 ] of the A-Z List of Serial Killers
- #424 of 651[ Page 29 ] of serial killers sorted by Profile Completeness
- Statistics:
- Serial Killers Statistics, charts Karl Denke is included in: Active Serial Killers by Country, Serial Killers By Gender, Age of Serial Killer by Date, Killers By Astrological Sign, Killers By Birth Month, Mannor of Death, Active Serial Killers by Year and Statistical Boolean Questions.
- Years Active: