Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “The Vampire of Düsseldorf” Peter Kürten Pt. 1

Episode Date: October 26, 2020

Unfulfilled by bestiality, a young Peter Kürten turned to murder — and discovered his body’s reaction to the sight of blood. As his dark desires festered, he embraced sadism in all its forms. And in 1929, a gruesome killing spree earned him a chilling moniker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of murder, incest, sexual assault, bestiality, paraphilia, rape and assault that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. On the night of May 25, 1913, 30-year-old Peter Curtin wandered about the town of Mulheim, Germany, searching for the perfect house. Since his release from prison a few months earlier, Peter had spent most of his nights breaking into homes, stealing food and valuables to survive. But on this particular night, Peter took his crime spree to a ghastly new level.

After rummaging through all of the cupboards and drawers, Peter found nothing valuable worth taking. But when he peered into a bedroom just off the staircase, he saw something he wanted very much. Moonlight drifted through a window and illuminated the figure of a young girl sleeping soundly in her bed. Peter crept across the room and stood over her, staring and panting. The girl, who looked about 10 years old, was tucked so tightly in bed, Peter could only make out her pale face and slender neck. But it was more than enough to arouse his craving. A familiar urge washed over him.

a call to action that he couldn't ignore any longer. Peter took a deep breath, rubbed his hands together, and smiled. Then he jumped onto the bed. Hey, I'm Greg Poulson. This is Serial Killers, a Spotify original from Parcast. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today we're taking a look at Peter Curtin, the sadist otherwise known as the Vampire of Dusseldorf.

I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. You can find episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Today, we'll examine how Peter's father influenced his inclination towards sadism. We'll also explore the development of Peter's criminal career of abuse, arson, and murder. Next time, we'll cover Peter's infamous 1929 killing spree, where he committed a series of crimes so sadistic and gruesome that he earned the moniker

the vampire of Dusseldorf. We've got all that and more coming up. Stay with us. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Bonnie and Clyde, the lonely hearts killers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. These are infamous criminal duels. But you don't need to break any laws

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Do you want to hear something spooky? Some monster, it reminded me of Bigfoot. Monsters Among Us is a weekly podcast featuring true stories of the paranormal. One of the boys started to exhibit demonic possession. Stories straight from the witnesses' mouths themselves. Something very snake-like lifted its head out of the water. Hosted by me, your guide, Derek Hayes. Somehow I lost eight whole hours.

Listen now on Spotify or wherever. You get your podcast. We're all a product of our beginnings. The exceedingly fortunate stemmed from a line of families where love and affection is passed down through the generations. Children learn from doting parents. Then carry those lessons forward. But for the unlucky ones,

who only know abuse and neglect from the onset, it's sometimes difficult to imagine how life can be anything better. They learn that the world is cruel and that life is hard. Sometimes to get by is all you can hope for. While many are able to rise above and cultivate healthier lives, there are still those who believe that if you hurt others along the way, well, that's just a part of life. And sometimes, for those whose minds unfortunately develop into something much darker,

hurting others is the best part. Peter Curtin's childhood didn't fall into the first category, or even the second. While he was born in the picturesque storybook town of Mulheim, Germany in 1883, his father was an abusive alcoholic, and his mother was too timid and exhausted to take a stand. Peter's father was a sandmolder who spent most of his meager wages on alcohol, forcing his family to scrabble for food. An angry drunk, he would often come home from the pub and beat his wife and children, reserving the worst of the violence for Peter, since he was the eldest of the ten children. Peter's father was a particularly sadistic man. In addition to the

physical assault he inflicted upon his family, he regularly forced his children to watch him have sex with their mother. With his home life abusive, Peter began running away at the age of eight. He either stayed at school until his teachers forced him to leave or snuck into the woods near to the and hid, sometimes for weeks at a time. During these vagabond periods, Peter sustained himself by pickpocketing women and children in town and using the money to buy food or clothing. He occasionally got caught, but because of his young age, Peter was never officially disciplined by the authorities.

Instead, the police returned him to his father, where the punishment was far more brutal than a night in jail. By the time Peter turned nine, he had experienced. experienced enough abuse to continue what's commonly known as the cycle of violence. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but she has done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. Psychologist and Professor Kathy Whittam is credited with inventing the term cycle of violence in 1989,

Drawing from a wealth of psychological, psychiatric, and sociological data, Wittem confirmed that abused children are more likely to become abusers themselves later in life. Subsequent studies of this subject have proven that other factors, such as environmental structure and culture, may impact whether or not an abused child grows up to be a violent offender. However, Wittam argues that the transmission of violence between generations continues to be the foundation, for all psychological analyses of abusers and their families. So, because of his father's violent abuse, Peter developed his own disturbing predisposition towards violence. And according to Curtin himself, it led him to commit his first murder at the age of nine.

Peter and his friends often played along the riverbanks of Mulheim. There they found logs tied them together to create rafts and spent their days floating on the water. One day in 1892, Peter and two friends went out rafting by themselves. As they drifted along the river, Peter claimed to have pushed one of the boys off the raft, even though he knew that his friend couldn't swim. As soon as the boy fell into the shallow water, the other reportedly jumped in after him. Then Peter steered the raft on top of his friend's heads, trapping them underneath. Peter felt a sick pleasure as his friend's hands scraped the underside of the raft.

frantically grasping for any way to save themselves until ultimately they drowned. The death on the river taught Peter a valuable lesson. Murder was not only exhilarating, but it was rather easy to pull off. As the drowning was ruled an accident, Peter faced no consequences. And later that year, he was ready for his next kill. The river in Mulheim feeds into the Rhine, a major European body of water. Peter and a friend floated their raft all the way to the mouth of the Rhine River, at which point Peter pushed the boy off.

He watched with unrestrained glee, as his friend was carried away by the tide, never to be seen again. Luckily for the children of Mulheim, Peter wouldn't be around for much longer. In 1894, when Peter was 11, the Curtin family moved about 20 miles south from Mulheim to Dusseldorf. His father hoped to find better opportunities on a larger city. And though he did find a good job as a metal worker, he continued to spend most of his earnings on alcohol.

Once again, his family was forced to scrape by without much to eat. Peter's father also established a pattern of extreme sexual abuse. In addition to forcing his wife to have sex with him in front of their children, he also raped his eldest daughter in 1897. The girl was just 13 years old. Peter's father was sentenced to 18 months in prison for incest, which should have resulted in a reprieve for his wife and children. Unfortunately, without his wages,

the Curtin family found themselves in greater poverty than ever before. As the eldest son, it fell to 14-year-old Peter to step up and take care of his mother and nine siblings. He got a job as an apprentice at the same foundry where his father worked and began earning as much as he could. Despite his new role as breadwinner for his family, Peter was still an adolescent boy. Around the same time, he took on more responsibility. He also started exploring his sexuality.

But he quickly learned that his appetite was far greater than that of the girls he lusted after. Since the girls he knew were not yet interested in sex, Peter satisfied his desires with animals. One of his schoolmates lived on a farm, so one night Peter snuck into the stables and had to be. sex with a sheep. Peter experimented with bestiality several times, but gave up on the practice after a few months. The devious act wasn't as pleasurable as he had expected. According to a study by psychologists at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, adolescents who engage in

bestiality are far more likely to commit rape and murder as adults. However, Peter's transition from sexual offender to violent criminal was swifter than most. When he realized, he realized, that bestiality wasn't gratifying him, Peter turned instead to animal torture, which he found much more fulfilling. Best of all, he didn't have to torment the animals alone. Shortly after his father went to prison, Peter befriended the family's next-door neighbor. The man worked as a dog catcher and let Peter ride around town with him as he searched for wayward pops. Unfortunately, Peter's neighbor didn't choose his career out of a love for animals. In fact, it was just the opposite. The man enjoyed inflicting pain on all of the dogs that he caught, even killing some of

them. Peter was mesmerized by his neighbor's cruelty, finding a sense of rapture as he watched the almost ritualistic torment and murder. He eagerly joined the man, torturing and killing dogs alongside him. After indulging his sadism with the neighbor, Peter returned to a schoolmate's farm to slaughter some animals. Under the cover of of night, he snuck into the stables and stabbed lone pigs and sheep. And one of these nighttime misdeeds led to a discovery that would change his life forever. When Peter arrived at the farm, he scoped out the selection of animals and chose a sheep to kill. As he prepared to do the deed, he realized that he was fully aroused. Because of this, he attempted to have sex with the

U. But just as before, Peter was completely unfulfilled by bestiality. He gave up on the act and went ahead with his original plan. He stabbed the poor animal repeatedly. Then, at the sight of the sheep's blood, Peter claimed to have had an orgasm. Peter immediately made the connection between blood and his own erotic satisfaction. This is a paraphylic condition called hematilinea. While he didn't abandon hope for a normal sexual relationship, he finally understood that bloody murder was what truly gratified him. However, as soon as 15-year-old Peter wrapped his head around his peculiar urges, he found himself without the time to relieve them.

Peter's father was released from prison in 1898 and returned home even more violent than before. To deflect his father's rage away from his mother and siblings, Peter stayed home as often as possible. He spent his weekdays working beside his father at the foundry and his weekends joining him on any odd job they could get. By the time Peter turned 18 in 1901, he was more than ready to leave home. Thankfully, his mother filed for separation, meaning she and Peter's siblings were safe. At last, he felt it was time to run away.

So Peter stole money from both the foundry and his father and escaped the city of Koblenz, almost 100 miles south of Dusseldorf. Upon his arrival in Koblenz, Peter struck up a relationship with a sex worker, two years as senior. He wasn't particularly drawn to the woman, but she was quite intrigued by Peter. She offered him a place to stay, which cemented his decision to date her. Throughout their two-year affair, Peter and his girlfriend rarely had sex, at least at first. At some point, however, she allowed Peter to inflict small amounts of pain on her during sex,

which satisfied him enough that he slept with her more frequently. But Peter ultimately took that privilege too far. He grew increasingly violent with his girlfriend, both in and outside of the bedroom. When Peter threatened to kill her, she decided to go to the police. He was charged with threatening the woman, and in 1903, 20-year-old Peter Curtin was given a one-week prison sentence as his punishment. But instead of learning from his time in jail, Peter re-entered society eager to do more harm. Although he was only locked up for a week, that was more than enough time for his sadist. desires to fester and grow. He was desperate to see people suffer and planned to satisfy his needs

straight away. Coming up, Peter leaves a myriad of victims in his wake. Parcasters, you know the world can be chaotic and unpredictable, but how far would you go to turn the tides of favor in your direction? In the newest Spotify original from Parcast, we're taking a closer look at bad omens, good luck charms and age-old traditions that just might have the power to change our faiths. Each episode of superstitions presents a new drama that unpacks a different belief. Can holding your breath while passing a cemetery save your life? Will carrying a rabbit's foot bring you luck? How can you go through life always avoiding the number 13?

And why should you try? They may seem mystical, unusual, completely illogical, but one thing is certain, you ignore them at your own risk. You can find and follow superstitions free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. To hear more PARCAST shows, search parcast network in Spotify's search bar and find a growing slate of thrilling new series to enjoy. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars.

Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th, the powerful vocals of Demi Lovato on May 17th. and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th. Tickets on sale now at Yamava Theater.com, only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You in? Must be 21 to enter. Now back to the story. In 1903, 20-year-old Peter Curtin had just completed a one-week stint in prison

for threatening to kill his girlfriend. Upon his release, Peter returned to Koblenz, Germany, stealing food and valuing. in order to survive. It wasn't long before Peter was caught for petty theft and thrown into prison once again. This time he was sent back to his hometown of Dusseldorf to serve out his eight-month sentence. While in jail, Peter paid close attention to the other inmates. He developed a deep respect for the more professional criminals and even tattooed himself to look like them. Hoping to discover new ways to commit chaos upon his release, Peter encouraged the other inmates

to share the sinister details of their crimes. He was already familiar with assault, rape, and murder, but Peter had yet to try out arson. Based on the other men's stories, it was an act that greatly appealed to him. So, when his sentence was up in 1904, Peter experimented with setting fires. As a male with a history of animal cruelty

and several prior offenses, Peter fit the psychological profile of an arsonist to a T. Some experts also argue that sexual abnormality and frustration play a part in an individual's attraction to arson. According to psychologist Martin Reiser, arson and rape often provide men like Peter with the same carnal sense of thrill and satisfaction. Riser also asserts that arson and rape are both at their core, expressions of rage, anger, and resentment. By committing these crimes, the perpetrators get to feel powerful. and in control, which ultimately results in excitement and gratification. Considering Peter's perverse sexual interests, it made sense that he was attracted to the thrill of arson.

After his release from prison, he set fire to two haystacks, a hayloft, and a barn, before he was drafted into the German military. Peter reported to duty in Mess, France, where he served in the 98th Infantry Regiment. Unsurprisingly, the strict schedule and discipline required of service. soldiers didn't sit well with him, so after only a few months, he deserted his position. In 1905, less than one year after abandoning the army, 22-year-old Peter was arrested for theft once again. When authorities discovered he was also a deserter, his sentence was substantially extended, and he was ordered to spend the next eight years in Germany's Munster Prison. Now a seasoned criminal, Peter had no interest in making friends to expand his skill set.

he felt superior to the rest of the prisoners, which often manifested in various kinds of deviant behavior, namely fighting. The punishments for acting out in Munster Prison were extremely harsh, and Peter was often singled out by the warden. The warden would also encourage new guards to practice various forms of torture on Peter, who had no choice but to sit back and take it. At one point, Peter was fettered or chained to his bed for three weeks without release. However terrible these abuses were, Peter was most traumatized by solitary confinement. He later blamed his stints in solitary for exacerbating his sadistic fantasies.

Isolated in his cell, Peter's mind was free to wander. He spent a great deal of time letting his mind and imagination run away with him and gratifying himself to thoughts of assault and murder. By the time of his release, he was desperate to perform those acts for real. In early 1913, 30-year-old Peter was set free. He again turned to burglary in order to survive, and it was while he prowled that he stumbled upon the perfect opportunity to satisfy his sadistic cravings. On the night of May 25, 1913, Peter broke into a residential apartment in Mulheim. After finding nothing worth stealing in the house, he wandered around, peeking in on the sleeping family members.

In a room just off the staircase, he spied Christine Klein, a young girl of about 10, dozing peacefully underneath her quilt. He took a few moments to examine the child, his heart thundering as he zeroed in on her slender, pale neck. At some point, his urges took over, and he couldn't wait any longer. He jumped onto the bed, clasped his hands around Christine's neck, and throttled her. As the girl startled awake and fought for her life, Peter felt himself becoming aroused.

He then sexually assaulted her, but found no satisfaction from the act. It was at that point that Peter remembered what truly excited him, the sight of blood. He took out his pocket knife and slashed Christine's throat twice, claiming to orgasm when he heard the blood splatter onto the floor. Then he left. The following day, Peter nursed a drink at a tavern across the street from the Klein residence, Through the front window, he watched with glee as the police arrived at the scene and the townspeople succumbed to panic.

He delighted in their horror. Peter prolonged this euphoria by visiting Christine's grave. He later claimed that he could achieve sexual completion simply by touching the soil that covered her coffin. In the weeks following the murder, Christine's uncle was falsely accused of the crime. He had argued with Christine's father that, the night before her death and stormed out of the house screaming that he would make the family sorry. Christine's uncle was sent to jail, but was released when authorities confirmed that he

could not have been the killer. Even though he was proven innocent, the man lived with the stigma for the rest of his life, as the entire town still believed he was guilty. Peter was thrilled with this development. He was happy to accumulate as many casualties as possible, and throughout the rest of the summer of 1913, he added plenty more victims to his list. Armed with a small axe, Peter roamed around Mulheim and committed a veritable spree of random assaults over the course of two months. One of these assaults happened in June of 1913, when Peter followed a woman as she walked home at night. As soon as she reached her doorstep, he gave her one sharp blow to the head from behind. The woman crumpled to the ground, and Peter ran away.

That same month, Peter came upon a man sitting alone on a park bench late in the evening. He struck the man on the head, then took cover as soon as he collapsed. Hiding behind a nearby bush, Peter watched the man writhe, finding pleasure in his pain. Again, he claimed that seeing the man's blood led him to orgasm. In addition to assaults, Peter regularly engaged in arson and theft. In fact, Peter was so excited by his attack on the man in the park, that he set fire to a haystack he passed on his way home. However, Peter rarely knew if his random assaults resulted in death,

and by July of 1913, he was itching to kill again. During one of his burglaries, Peter obtained a skeleton key that opened the doors to residences throughout the city. It was this key that gained him entrance to the house of his next victim, Gertrude Franken. Using the skeleton key, Peter unlocked the front door of the Frankenhouse and crept down the first floor hallway, glancing into any open rooms. Finally, he saw Gertrude, a girl of about 17, sleeping soundly in her bed. Peter didn't waste any time. He squeezed her throat so viciously that he damaged her vocal cords right away.

Gertrude never even had a chance to scream. Unlike Christine Klein, Peter didn't need to slash Gertrude. Gertrude's throat, blood gurgled out of her mouth, fulfilling his sexual fetish. When Peter was certain Gertrude was dead, he strolled out the front door and locked it behind him. After Gertrude's murder, Peter went on another arson spree out of excitement, but it only lasted a few days before he was caught by the authorities. This time, he was sentenced to six years in a military prison in Bjegg, which is now part of Poland. Behind the bars at Bjeeg Penitentiary, Peter often bragged about his violent and sexual conquests, describing them in graphic detail.

He also socialized with other sex offenders, exchanging advice on how best to commit crimes and behave oneself during a trial. But his popularity amongst the other prisoners was brief. According to the head warden of the Bjeegg Penitentiary, Peter was a disaster of a prisoner. He held no respect for the other inmates. and regularly betrayed them by telling the prison officials about any plans for mutiny or attack. When Peter discovered that the officials wouldn't treat him differently, no matter how much he tattled, he began to misbehave. And his frequent acts of insubordination earned him a two-year extension to his sentence.

But prison wouldn't hold Peter forever, and with each passing year, his lust for blood increased. He was ready to get out and make the story. Streets run red. Coming up, Peter sets the world on fire. Now back to the story. While serving time for acts of arson and theft he committed in 1913, Peter Curtin's insubordination earned him an additional two years inside Bjegg penitentiary.

Peter claimed that his deviant behavior was due to the frequent torture and starvation he was subjected to. But as possible, his horrific treatment in the prison had a somewhat positive. positive effect as well. When 38-year-old Peter was finally released in 1921, he had a new outlook on life. After eight years behind bars, he wanted to earn an honest living. Immediately after he was set free, Peter made his way to Altenberg, Germany, a town over 200 miles east of Bzegg. There, he moved in with his sister and vowed to live a normal life. But of course, Peter couldn't stick to that promise for very long. His stay with his sister even began with a lie. Peter told his sister that his disappearance

for the past eight years was the result of him being a prisoner of war, not a prisoner of the state. She believed that he had been captured while serving in the army and that once he was rescued, he immediately sought out a member of his family to feel some comfort and stability. Peter's sister took him in and helped him find work in a factory. She also introduced him to a friend of hers, a woman named Augusta Sharf. Augusta was 41 and ran a local sweet shop. Peter's sister hoped the two would hit it off and that her brother would finally settle down with a nice woman.

And while Peter and Augusta did start dating, a closer look at Augusta proved that she was not as virtuous as Peter's sister believed. In fact, she had a rather dark past of her own. In 1903, when Augusta was 23, she started an affair with a good woman. Gardner. Their relationship lasted eight years, throughout which time the man promised he was going to leave his wife for her. But in 1911, the man backed out on his vow to Augusta and left her. Augusta was irate. She felt foolish and betrayed, and she wanted the Gardner to feel as hurt as she did. So she found a gun, and she shot him.

Fortunately, the man survived, but Augusta was quickly seized. by the authorities and sentenced to five years in prison for her crime. She was released a year early in 1915 and worked as a dressmaker in the town of Leipzig until she moved to Altenberg to open her sweet shop in 1920. Less than a year later, in May of 1921, her courtship with Peter began. But it wasn't the fairy tale romance that Peter's sister believed she'd set up. Peter refused to commit exclusively to Augusta and regularly went out with her. other women, even though he expected her to stay loyal. Taking his cue from his own father, Peter was also verbally and physically abusive to Augusta.

He threatened to hurt her if she didn't have sex with him, and when she capitulated, he was violent with her during the sex act itself. In 1923, after two years together, Peter asked Augusta to marry him, telling Augusta he would kill her unless she said yes. She agreed, believing that marriage to Peter was penance for her sins all those years ago. Despite the threats and abuse, Augusta later described the first few years of her relationship and marriage to Peter as some of their best. He finally had a steady job, friendships throughout town, and he stopped cheating on her. Although the couple didn't describe themselves as happy, they were relatively content and at the very least stable. But in 1925, two years after their wedding, they moved to Dusseldorf, and the foundation they had built in Altenberg started to crumble.

Peter believed that evil spirits were luring him to Dusseldorf and pulling him back toward a life of crime. The night he arrived in town, the sky was blood red, which he took as a sign that he was back on the right path. One day, Peter met a woman named Maria Kieffa on the street and struck up a conversation. The following night, he went to Maria's house and they engaged in consensual sex. At some point during the act, Peter strangled her with the intent to kill. She managed to escape his grip, and as soon as she cried out for help, Peter ran away. Because she was afraid of being labeled promiscuous, Maria didn't report the incident to police. With no one on his tail, Peter was free to strike again.

Not only was his lust for sex and violence reinvigorated, he also lost inmate. interest in his wife, so he started seeking the company of other women, many of whom he tried to harm. One of Peter's longer affairs was with a housekeeper named Tita, who he met while she was cleaning a hotel. He told her that his name was Fritz Ketala, and he often took her out to the Grafemberg-Vold Forest, where they had sex. Peter almost always strangled Tita during the act.

When Tita got angry with him for being violent, Peter would tell her, that's what love means. This seemed to pacify Tita, leaving Peter free to resume his despicable activity. Peter used a very common manipulation tactic called gaslighting in order to get Tida to consent to further abuse. Psychologists agree that gaslighting describes a wide range of behaviors, all of which involve one person convincing another to accept things as true when they are blatantly false. Tita knew that the concept of love doesn't involve feeling emotionally or physically. hurt by one's partner, and yet Peter assured her that she was wrong. He told her that love included abuse, that love, in fact, was abuse with such certainty that she questioned her own knowledge of the concept. According to psychologist Eleanor Greenberg, most people who

use gaslighting to manipulate their partners are extremely self-centered, low on empathy, and desperate for a sense of control, which are all qualities that aptly disliked. describe Peter Curtin. As such, one woman wasn't enough. In addition to Tita, Peter was also having an affair with a woman named Meck. Mech worked as a housemaid for a family in Dusseldorf. He used the same fake name with Meck, calling himself Fritz Ketala to avoid being discovered as a married man. Peter engaged in his usual violent sexual behavior with Meck, and like Tida, she was made to feel as though this kind of sex was normal.

Early in 1927, Peter's wife Augusta found out about his affairs and in a rare show of resolve kicked him out. The change in Peter's living situation convinced Tita that Peter had been lying to her all along. After a short investigation, she realized that he was married and went to the police. At the time, unlawful seduction, or seducing someone while married, was considered a crime against society, and Peter was given a two-month prison sentence for this transgression. While he was locked away, Tida and Mech somehow found each other and exchanged stories about Peter's brutal behavior. As soon as Peter was released from jail, Mech brought charges against him for rape and abuse, and Peter was thrown back in prison for another eight months. In the cases of both Tita and Meck, Peter trying to argue his innocence in court, but no one bought his story.

The loss left him angrily brooding behind bars. As soon as he was set free, Peter used all of his pent-up rage to fuel a series of arson attacks on Dusseldorf. Over the next year and a half, Peter set fire to forests, plantations, houses, barns, wagons, and sheds. He committed at least 17 acts of arson. Although people certainly perished in some of these blazes, Peter claimed that he had no intention of killing anyone when he set them. However, he also professed that he had unsuccessfully tried to set fire to the Dusseldorf orphanage several times, hoping to listen to the children scream. It would appear that Peter did, in fact, desire murder as a side effect of his arson.

After all, the more chaos he observed, the more pleasure he received from the situation. He always tried to get as close to the flames as possible in order to fully experience the turmoil he created. Sometimes Peter was so near to the fires that he was even asked to help put them out. Depending on his mood, he either obliged this request and placed himself in the center of the event or declined and ran into the woods to masturbate. Surprisingly, Peter was never caught for this string of arson attacks, and he reveled in the fact that no one suspected him. Even his wife, who took him back upon his release from prison, had no idea what he was doing. While locked up, Peter had written to Augusta, swearing that he was a changed man.

Peter's false promises helped Augusta turn a blind eye to any erratic behavior that she may have spotted within her husband. She was determined to stay with him at all costs, still wanting to pay the price for shooting her lover all those years ago. Perhaps Augusta was only able to stay faithful to her vow because she had no idea what her husband was truly capable of. She was aware that he was a cheater and an abuser, but knew nothing of his penchant for murder, nor his taste for blood. While Peter had dabbled in partial stranglings over the past few years, he hadn't managed to directly kill someone in over a decade. But that was about to change.

In February 1929, 46-year-old Peter embarked on the deadliest year of his criminal career. At about 9 p.m. on the night of February, 3rd, 1929. Frau Kuhn was walking home from work on a deserted road in Dusseldorf's Flingen district. Suddenly, a man walked up to her appearing almost out of nowhere. Unfortunately for Frau Kuhn, that man was Peter Curtin. Peter grabbed Frau Kuhn by the lapels of her coat and told her not to scream. Then he stabbed her in the chest.

He continued stabbing, plunging the knife into her head, arms, and back. finally stopping when Frau Kuhn bled from 24 different wounds. Peter was sure that he had killed Fraukun, and as she fell screaming to the ground, he ran away, thrilled to have finally murdered again. However, a few days later, Peter discovered that Frau Kuhn had survived, and his urge to kill grew stronger than ever before. It had been too dark for Frau Kuhn to identify him,

so Peter knew he was free to search for his next, victim. He wanted someone who would satisfy every sadistic desire whirling around in his head, and on February 8th, he found her. Just five days after Peter attacked Frau Kuhn, he stood outside St. Vincent's Church and watched as a girl of about eight walked past him on the sidewalk. Peter approached the girl and asked where she was headed. Not shy with strangers, the girl told him her address. Peter offered her his hand and she took it. Come then, Peter said. I'll take you home.

Thanks again for tuning in to serial killers. We'll be back on Thursday with part two of Peter Curtin's story. We'll discuss all of the atrocities he committed in 1929 and how he earned the nickname, The Vampire of Dusseldorf. For more information on Peter Curtin, amongst the many sources we used, we found The Sadist by Carl Berg, extremely helpful to our research. You can find more episodes of Serial Killers

and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. Have a Killer Week. Serial Killers was created by Max Cutler and is a Spotify original from Parcast. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cutler, sound design by Russell Nash,

with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Carly Madden, and Freddie Beckley. This episode of Serial Killers was written by Ellie Reed, with writing assistance by Joel Callan and stars Greg Paulson and Vanessa Richardson. Hang a horseshoe above your door. Keep a rabbit's foot in your pocket and follow superstitions free on Spotify. Listen every Wednesday for the surprising backstories to our most curious beliefs and thrilling tales that illuminate the mystical eerieness of our favorite superstitions.

A beloved 75-year-old man washing up getting ready for bed is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again. I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hixed. You might listen to a lot of true crime podcasts this year, but they're not crime beat. Search for and follow the award-winning podcast Crime Beat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.