Arthur Gatter

Arthur Gatter (1940 – 12 December 1990), also known as the "Hammer Killer of Frankfurt", was a German serial killer.

Life

Arthur Gatter was an electrician by profession and lived for a period in Australia. After returning to Germany, he worked in assembly. From the 1980s onward, he was no longer able to work and caused significant damage to his apartment on Wilhelm-Leuschner-Straße. It is believed that his schizophrenia was already at an advanced stage during this period. In his subsequent residence in Bornheim, he continued to exhibit suspicious behaviour. At times, he was examined at a clinic for psychiatry and psychotherapy in Haina.

Murders

The murders occurred between 1 February and 22 May 1990 on the outskirts of Frankfurt. At the time, Frankfurt had approximately 2,400 homeless people living in the city, particularly in its greener areas. 2 February 1990: A crime scene was discovered on Weißfrauenstraße. A security guard found the body of 43-year-old homeless man Hans-Peter "Peterchen" S. at around 5:00 a.m. 3 April 1990: Two victims were killed near the Eschenheimer Anlage. 4 May 1990: The body of 46-year-old Hans-Peter M. was found at around 7:30 a.m. These included placing mannequins on park benches as potential decoys and deploying plainclothes officers to act as bait for the offender. According to investigators, Gatter systematically sought out victims sleeping on park benches and attacked them by surprise. He reportedly observed them beforehand to ensure he could act without interruption and wore low-noise rubber gloves to avoid detection. The force of the blows was such that blood was found several metres from the victims.

A psychiatric report prepared at the time found that he met the criteria for an insanity defense. Before court proceedings could take place, Gatter died by suicide on 12 December 1990, having hanged himself with a gauze bandage.