Norbert Poehlke
Encyclopedia
Norbert Poehlke, Der Hammermörder ('The Hammer-Killer'), was a German
police officer
who was found, after his suicide
in 1985, to have committed several bank robberies and murders. He was tagged 'Hammer-Killer' for his modus operandi
of killing car owners and using a sledgehammer in subsequent bank robberies in which he would use his victims' cars as getaway vehicles.
, West Germany
. His car, found a quarter-mile from his body, was linked to a bank robbery the same day in Erbstetten. The assailant had smashed the teller window with a sledgehammer, and taken the money on the other side.
On December 21, 37-year-old Eugene Wethey was found shot dead in a rest stop near Grossbottwar. A week later, Wethey's car was used in a bank robbery in Cleebronn
by a man wielding a sledgehammer.
On July 22, 1985, 26-year-old Wilfried Scheider was found shot dead in a parking lot in Beilstein
-Schmidhausen. He was shot with a Walther P5
pistol, a common police issue pistol. The victims car was found at the scene of a bank robbery in Spiegelberg
.
railway station for bombs, anti-terrorist officers happened upon a police uniform in one of the lockers. The uniform was traced to Chief Inspector
Norbert Poehlke, a veteran officer of 14 years in Stuttgart
. Poehlke said it had been left there after a quick change for a family member's funeral. Police became suspicious when they discovered no recent family deaths, but that his daughter had died of cancer
in 1984.
The investigation was picking up when, on October 14, Poehlke requested, and got, some sick leave. Several days later police went to his home to ask him some questions regarding the murders and robberies. With no one answering, and fearing Poelhke had fled, the police entered the house. What they found was Poelhke's wife shot twice in the head in the bathroom and in one of the bedrooms was his son Adrian, also shot dead.
Three days later, October 23, Poehlke and his other son, Gabriel, were found shot dead, a clear murder-suicide
, in his car near Brindisi
, Italy
. Poehlke's pistol was confirmed as the murder weapon in the murders, and the case was closed.
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...
police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
who was found, after his suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in 1985, to have committed several bank robberies and murders. He was tagged 'Hammer-Killer' for his modus operandi
Modus operandi
Modus operandi is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode of operation". The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, their method of operating or functioning...
of killing car owners and using a sledgehammer in subsequent bank robberies in which he would use his victims' cars as getaway vehicles.
The crimes
On May 3, 1984, 47-year-old Siegfried Pfitzer was found dead, shot in the head, at a highway rest stop in MarbachMarbach
Marbach may refer to: Places in Germany*the town Marbach am Neckar, district Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg*Part of Erbach in Hessen*Part of Gomadingen, Baden-Württemberg...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. His car, found a quarter-mile from his body, was linked to a bank robbery the same day in Erbstetten. The assailant had smashed the teller window with a sledgehammer, and taken the money on the other side.
On December 21, 37-year-old Eugene Wethey was found shot dead in a rest stop near Grossbottwar. A week later, Wethey's car was used in a bank robbery in Cleebronn
Cleebronn
Cleebronn is a municipality in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany.- Geography :Cleebronn is situated in the Zabergäu in the south of the district of Heilbronn, directly in the north of the Stromberg mountain with an elevation of 220-260m. The landscape is...
by a man wielding a sledgehammer.
On July 22, 1985, 26-year-old Wilfried Scheider was found shot dead in a parking lot in Beilstein
Beilstein
Beilstein may refer to:*places in Germany:**Beilstein, Württemberg, in Baden-Württemberg**Beilstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, in Rhineland-Palatinate**Beilstein, Hessen*a 2270-metre mountain of the Hochschwab Plateau, Northern Limestone Alps, Styria...
-Schmidhausen. He was shot with a Walther P5
Walther P5
The Walther P5 is a 9mm semi-automatic pistol developed in the mid-1970s by the German small arms manufacturer Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen. It was designed with the German police forces in mind, who sought to replace existing 7.65mm pistols with a modern service sidearm incorporating enhanced...
pistol, a common police issue pistol. The victims car was found at the scene of a bank robbery in Spiegelberg
Spiegelberg
Spiegelberg is a town in the district of Rems-Murr in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.The name of the town refers to 18th century glass production on the hills, with mirror polishing being done in the valley of the Lauter river....
.
Investigation
On September 29, 1985 while searching a LudwigsburgLudwigsburg
Ludwigsburg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg urban district with about 87,000 inhabitants...
railway station for bombs, anti-terrorist officers happened upon a police uniform in one of the lockers. The uniform was traced to Chief Inspector
Chief inspector
Chief inspector is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police .-Australia:...
Norbert Poehlke, a veteran officer of 14 years in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
. Poehlke said it had been left there after a quick change for a family member's funeral. Police became suspicious when they discovered no recent family deaths, but that his daughter had died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1984.
The investigation was picking up when, on October 14, Poehlke requested, and got, some sick leave. Several days later police went to his home to ask him some questions regarding the murders and robberies. With no one answering, and fearing Poelhke had fled, the police entered the house. What they found was Poelhke's wife shot twice in the head in the bathroom and in one of the bedrooms was his son Adrian, also shot dead.
Three days later, October 23, Poehlke and his other son, Gabriel, were found shot dead, a clear 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:...
, in his car near Brindisi
Brindisi
Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Poehlke's pistol was confirmed as the murder weapon in the murders, and the case was closed.