Martin Peyerl
Encyclopedia
Martin Peyerl was a German student. On November 1, 1999 (the day of All Saints), firing from his bedroom window, he killed four people and wounded seven others before committing suicide.
, Germany
. On November 1, 1999, his parents left the house to visit the grave of one of Peyerl's grandparents in Piden, something they typically did on All-Saints Day. Martin did not go with them. Instead, in their absence he broke into his father’s gun cabinet- which contained more than ten firearms- positioned himself in his bedroom window, and began shooting at anything that moved. Peyerl killed neighbors Ruth and Horst Zillenbiller, then a 54-year old patient at the hospital across the street, who had stepped outside to smoke. Eight others were ultimately wounded, among them actor Günter Lamprecht. Martin's sister, a nanny at the hospital across the street, came home around noon. Peyerl shot her five times, killing her. He then fatally shot the family cat, sat down in a bathtub and committed suicide with a single blast from a shotgun.
No clear motive has been found for Peyerl’s actions. Peyerl’s status as an outsider at school, and that he had an alcoholic father at home who was frequently unemployed, have been regarded as possible influences. Peyerl was an avid gun enthusiast and frequently purchased gun magazines. He told classmates that he sometimes went to the forest looking for birds "to shoot" and sometimes practiced shooting with his father in the garage. Rudolf Peyerl, a twelve-year veteran of the German Army
, was himself enthusiastic about firearms, owning as many as nineteen. A few months prior to November 1, Martin was temporarily expelled from school because of Nazi photographs pasted in his notebook.
Neighbors said that Peyerl was a normal albeit introverted boy, but a psychiatrist who was involved in this case spoke of a loser type. Descriptions of Martin by former classmates were strikingly similar to descriptions given by classmates of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. He is said to have been a shy loner who preferred playing video games over talking to people. One classmate, Stefanie Hocheder, said "Martin was always nice", but that he was largely ignored and rarely had anything to say. Another said Martin was "a bit of a right-wing".
Given the similarities between the shooters at Columbine and Martin Peyerl and the short amount of time between their respective rampages, it is possible Peyerl was influenced by the massacre at Columbine High School
on April 20, 1999. Martin commented one day leading up to November 1, 1999 that it was "completely crazy what these guys have done" and that he believed Harris' and Klebold's actions to be "something we should do". Police stormed the house at 6pm on November 1, and finding the bodies of Daniela and Martin Peyerl along with the cat. An enormous swastika was painted above Peyerl’s bed; in his room were a number of additional painted swastikas and other Nazi symbols. A number of videos and CDs with violent content were also discovered. A portrait of Adolf Hitler
hung above the bed of Peyerl’s sister.
Investigators concluded that Martin Peyerl, like Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, did not commit murder-suicide
as a spontaneous act, but likely planned his actions well in advance. Peyerl left behind no journal or videos as the Columbine killers did, however, leaving his actions for the most part a mystery. Despite this, investigators remained certain that Peyerl's own death was as much a part of whatever plan he devised as the indiscriminate shooting of others.
Biography
Born to Rudolf and Theresa Peyerl on August 11, 1983, Martin Peyerl and his sister Daniela lived with their parents on a busy street in Bad ReichenhallBad Reichenhall
Bad Reichenhall is a spa town, and administrative center of the Berchtesgadener Land district in Upper Bavaria, Germany. It is located near Salzburg in a basin encircled by the Chiemgauer Alps ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. On November 1, 1999, his parents left the house to visit the grave of one of Peyerl's grandparents in Piden, something they typically did on All-Saints Day. Martin did not go with them. Instead, in their absence he broke into his father’s gun cabinet- which contained more than ten firearms- positioned himself in his bedroom window, and began shooting at anything that moved. Peyerl killed neighbors Ruth and Horst Zillenbiller, then a 54-year old patient at the hospital across the street, who had stepped outside to smoke. Eight others were ultimately wounded, among them actor Günter Lamprecht. Martin's sister, a nanny at the hospital across the street, came home around noon. Peyerl shot her five times, killing her. He then fatally shot the family cat, sat down in a bathtub and committed suicide with a single blast from a shotgun.
No clear motive has been found for Peyerl’s actions. Peyerl’s status as an outsider at school, and that he had an alcoholic father at home who was frequently unemployed, have been regarded as possible influences. Peyerl was an avid gun enthusiast and frequently purchased gun magazines. He told classmates that he sometimes went to the forest looking for birds "to shoot" and sometimes practiced shooting with his father in the garage. Rudolf Peyerl, a twelve-year veteran of the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
, was himself enthusiastic about firearms, owning as many as nineteen. A few months prior to November 1, Martin was temporarily expelled from school because of Nazi photographs pasted in his notebook.
Neighbors said that Peyerl was a normal albeit introverted boy, but a psychiatrist who was involved in this case spoke of a loser type. Descriptions of Martin by former classmates were strikingly similar to descriptions given by classmates of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. He is said to have been a shy loner who preferred playing video games over talking to people. One classmate, Stefanie Hocheder, said "Martin was always nice", but that he was largely ignored and rarely had anything to say. Another said Martin was "a bit of a right-wing".
Given the similarities between the shooters at Columbine and Martin Peyerl and the short amount of time between their respective rampages, it is possible Peyerl was influenced by the massacre at Columbine High School
Columbine High School massacre
The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...
on April 20, 1999. Martin commented one day leading up to November 1, 1999 that it was "completely crazy what these guys have done" and that he believed Harris' and Klebold's actions to be "something we should do". Police stormed the house at 6pm on November 1, and finding the bodies of Daniela and Martin Peyerl along with the cat. An enormous swastika was painted above Peyerl’s bed; in his room were a number of additional painted swastikas and other Nazi symbols. A number of videos and CDs with violent content were also discovered. A portrait of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
hung above the bed of Peyerl’s sister.
Aftermath
Numerous politicians in Germany called for changes in German firearm legislation following Peyerl's indiscriminate shooting on November 1, 1999. Rudolf and Theresa Peyerl were interviewed as witnesses by police shortly after, and the German Kriminalpolizei started an investigation. Wolfgang Giese, head of the investigation, denied the chance that drugs, alcohol, or extreme right-wing ideology were behind Peyerl's actions, saying those things played "no role". Instead, Giese asserted, the problem was "in the personality of the offender".Investigators concluded that Martin Peyerl, like Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, did not commit murder-suicide
Murder-suicide
A murder–suicide is an act in which an individual kills one or more other persons before or at the same time as killing himself or herself. The combination of murder and suicide can take various forms, including:...
as a spontaneous act, but likely planned his actions well in advance. Peyerl left behind no journal or videos as the Columbine killers did, however, leaving his actions for the most part a mystery. Despite this, investigators remained certain that Peyerl's own death was as much a part of whatever plan he devised as the indiscriminate shooting of others.
External links
- Der Martin war immer nett, Der SpiegelDer SpiegelDer Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
(45/1999) - Fünfter Toter nach Amoklauf, Spiegel OnlineSpiegel OnlineSpiegel Online , the online version of German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel, is one the most visited news websites written in the German language.- Company :...
(September 2, 1999)