Internet takes a nasty turn towards a medium for cannabalism

JULIE BOLITHO

Staff Writer

We’ve all heard the horror stories about the internet: children preyed upon in chat rooms, body organs sold over online black markets, or even roommates giving local addresses to random cyber sex partners. Yet, Germany has discovered another online culture that some find as threatening (if not more threatening) as the previously mentioned. What is this cyber subculture? Online cannibalism.

In 2000, Armin Meiwes, an engineer of Rotenburg, Germany placed an advertisement asking for a “well-built male, aged 18 to 30 to slaughter.” Bernd-Jurgen Brandes, a computer technician from Berlin, replied to the ad in March 2001. On the day of his killing, Brandes sold his car, wrote a will, and took the day off of work for “personal matters.” Brandes then drove to Meiwes house where the two men decided to cut off Brandes’ penis, flambé it and eat the meal together. After consuming the phallus, Brandes agreed to be stabbed in Meiwes’ “slaughtering room.” After Brandes passed, Meiwes dissected the corpse, continued to eat the flesh, and eventually stored the remaining meat in his freezer. The ordeal lasted over two hours and was interspersed with various homosexual activities all recorded on videotape.

German authorities were tipped off in July 2003 by internet surfers who discovered a new ad placed by Meiwes. Currently, there is no evidence that Meiwes has killed and eaten others, however, investigators found he had contact with over 200 people who shared his fantasies via cyberspace.

After a legally tricky trial, on Friday, January 30, 2004, a German court in Kassel sentenced Meiwes to 8.5 years in prison on a manslaughter conviction. The prosecution was disappoint-ed, as they pushed for a 15-year sexual murder sentence; though, the defense also faced disappointment, because they argued for a verdict of illegal eu-thanasia, which holds a sentence of 6 months to 5 years. Currently, Germany has no laws prohibiting cannibalism. Yet, Meiwes is urging people with can-nibalistic desires to seek help so they do not make his mistakes; he plans to write his memoirs as a form of persua-sion and help.

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