PROSECUTORS OPENING STATEMENT
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my name is Nathan Hoffman, and you are going to hear evidence of a monster, Fritz Haarmann, who preyed on young boys and men. Haarman often lured young boys from the Hanover train station with the promise of work, or he lured runaways and young boys who had missed their train to his apartment. Some of these young boys he lured with promises of sweets and cigarettes. Haarmann is before this court today charged with the brutal murder and mutilation of 27 young men and boys. You will hear these victims' story and how they met a monster, who initially befriended them and then brutally killed them, often decapitating them and dumping their remains like they were trash or garbage in the Leine River. You will hear evidence of how Haarmann maliciously sexually abused and raped these young boys and men and then brutally killed them with a bite to their adam's apple. When you hear the evidence, I want you imagine the pain, fear and horror of these young victims who were not only sexually abused by this monster, but who also realized as Haarmann's teeth bit into their necks that this was their last day on earth.
You will hear evidence to how Haarmann and his lover, Hans Grans, would then dismember the victim's bodies, wrapping heads in newspaper and carrying buckets of blood through the streets of Hanover. How and why did Haarmann get away with these killings so long? Was it because this monster was a butcher? Some people complained Haarmann's meat tasted odd. Was this meat possibly human? It is too horrible to even go there with these rumors and speculation. You will hear evidence about many of the young victim's personal property being found in this monster's lair. The evidence will also show that Haarmann's apartment was splattered with the blood of his young victims.
The evidence will show that another possible reason why Fritz Haarmann got away with these horrific murders for so long is that Haarmann was a trusted police informant for the police department in Hanover. You will hear evidence of how Haarmann lured some of his victims to his apartment, and to their death, by portraying himself as a police detective. These young men and boys where taught to trust and respect the police, but here we have a monster who used this trust to prey on some of his victims. At the end of this case, you can only come to one conclusion that this monster, Fritz Haarmann deserves to die for all the brutal slayings. It is too bad that our justice system does not allow for us to inflict on Haarmann the degradation and mutilation that he inflicted on his victims. At the end of this trial, you will have no doubt that this monster Fritz Haarmann is guilty of these murders and should be put to death.
DEFENSE OPENING STATEMENT
Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, my name is Nathan Hoffman, and I want to ask you to listen closely to the evidence that is going to be presented about my client who has been labelled by the press and the public as a monster "The Vampire and Butcher of Hanover." I am not denying that my client did most of these heinous crimes, however, he is not a monster, but a mentally sick and deficient individual. You will hear evidence that as a child, Haarmann's own father was a very angry and bizarre individual who wanted his own son, Fritz, the sixth child born to poor parents, institutionalized in a mental institution because he believed Fritz to be mentally deficient. At the end of this trial, you will come to one conclusion, Fritz Haarmann's father was right! Only a sick and mentally deficient individual such as Fritz Haarmann could ever be capable of doing these horrible acts and crimes. So, in summary, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the only conclusion after you hear all the evidence is that Fritz Haarmann is NOT GUILTY by reason of insanity or diminished capacity.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my name is Nathan Hoffman, and you are going to hear evidence of a monster, Fritz Haarmann, who preyed on young boys and men. Haarman often lured young boys from the Hanover train station with the promise of work, or he lured runaways and young boys who had missed their train to his apartment. Some of these young boys he lured with promises of sweets and cigarettes. Haarmann is before this court today charged with the brutal murder and mutilation of 27 young men and boys. You will hear these victims' story and how they met a monster, who initially befriended them and then brutally killed them, often decapitating them and dumping their remains like they were trash or garbage in the Leine River. You will hear evidence of how Haarmann maliciously sexually abused and raped these young boys and men and then brutally killed them with a bite to their adam's apple. When you hear the evidence, I want you imagine the pain, fear and horror of these young victims who were not only sexually abused by this monster, but who also realized as Haarmann's teeth bit into their necks that this was their last day on earth.
You will hear evidence to how Haarmann and his lover, Hans Grans, would then dismember the victim's bodies, wrapping heads in newspaper and carrying buckets of blood through the streets of Hanover. How and why did Haarmann get away with these killings so long? Was it because this monster was a butcher? Some people complained Haarmann's meat tasted odd. Was this meat possibly human? It is too horrible to even go there with these rumors and speculation. You will hear evidence about many of the young victim's personal property being found in this monster's lair. The evidence will also show that Haarmann's apartment was splattered with the blood of his young victims.
The evidence will show that another possible reason why Fritz Haarmann got away with these horrific murders for so long is that Haarmann was a trusted police informant for the police department in Hanover. You will hear evidence of how Haarmann lured some of his victims to his apartment, and to their death, by portraying himself as a police detective. These young men and boys where taught to trust and respect the police, but here we have a monster who used this trust to prey on some of his victims. At the end of this case, you can only come to one conclusion that this monster, Fritz Haarmann deserves to die for all the brutal slayings. It is too bad that our justice system does not allow for us to inflict on Haarmann the degradation and mutilation that he inflicted on his victims. At the end of this trial, you will have no doubt that this monster Fritz Haarmann is guilty of these murders and should be put to death.
DEFENSE OPENING STATEMENT
Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, my name is Nathan Hoffman, and I want to ask you to listen closely to the evidence that is going to be presented about my client who has been labelled by the press and the public as a monster "The Vampire and Butcher of Hanover." I am not denying that my client did most of these heinous crimes, however, he is not a monster, but a mentally sick and deficient individual. You will hear evidence that as a child, Haarmann's own father was a very angry and bizarre individual who wanted his own son, Fritz, the sixth child born to poor parents, institutionalized in a mental institution because he believed Fritz to be mentally deficient. At the end of this trial, you will come to one conclusion, Fritz Haarmann's father was right! Only a sick and mentally deficient individual such as Fritz Haarmann could ever be capable of doing these horrible acts and crimes. So, in summary, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the only conclusion after you hear all the evidence is that Fritz Haarmann is NOT GUILTY by reason of insanity or diminished capacity.