Erwin Hagedorn: The serial killer of Eberswalde

Erwin Hagedorn, known as the “Monster of Eberswalde,” was a serial killer in the German Democratic Republic (DDR) who murdered three children. A former Mitropa apprentice, Hagedorn’s crimes became a landmark in German criminalistics due to the early use of scientific methods such as profiling and interdisciplinary task forces to apprehend him.

The first murders occurred in June 1969 in the Eberswalde forest, where two nine-year-old students were killed with knives. Forensic reports noted the brutality of the wounds, suggesting the perpetrator had experience with knives. Hagedorn was eventually convicted for his crimes and executed by shooting, marking one of the final instances of the death penalty being carried out in the DDR.