Murder of Hermann Blechert

* witnesses - Lieber Itzig Blecher, Mojsche Zwirnbaum, Frl. Eckhardt, Elias Laub, Saxony-Bertha and many more

The **Murder of Hermann Blecher** happened on April 7, 1908 during the last phaste of the first season of Abriss des Scheunenviertels. The 14-year-old murder victim previously frequented the area around the Platz, as did the perpetrator, then 43-year-old August Heider, who was then sentenced to ten years in prison. It was therefore quickly assumed that the act should have occurred in the immediate vicinity of the Platz that had just been created. When the body was found, it was weighed down with a piece of granite that had come from a recently demolished house on Kleine Alexanderstraße corner of Linienstraße.  In fact, Heider committed the murder in his apartment on Lietzmannstrasse, about 700 meters east of the square.

### Course of events

After an argument with his teacher, Hermann was looking for somewhere to stay for the night. Rejected by several acquaintances in the Scheunenviertel, he ended up in the Bouillonkeller. There he met Heider, whom he already knew from seeing. The latter ordered him a roastbeaf with onions, whereupon Hermann fell asleep at the table for a few hours.

Together with a temporary waiter, they left the establishment around 5:30 in the morning. Blecher and Heider then went to Heider's apartment. Around 8 o'clock in the morning there was a fight between the two, in which Blecher died.

Heider initially stated that the young person wanted to steal from him, but revised this again in a later statement. The court assumed that Heider wanted to rape the boy, who resisted and was killed in the affect.

After the deed, Heider dismembered the corpse, put it in various packages and threw it into the Spree near Bellevue Palace.

### Corpse discovery and investigation

The first package was found in the morning hours of the next day, and a short time later the others too. The first packaged was weighted down with a granite stone that lead to the Scheunenviertel.

On the same day, the public was informed about the body's find, the body parts were collected and put on public display. Due to the proximity to the Easter holidays, the suspicion arose that it was a ritual murder.
On April 10, the father and his master identified the remains of the victim. August Heider was arrested three days later on urgent suspicion. He was on his way home after watching the fire at the Garrison Church. Before that, a "Frau Eckhardt" had led the investigators to the perpetrator's house. The 18-year-old was still in the hospital because a few weeks earlier Heider had also taken her home and attacked her, but was able to flee with serious injuries.

### Trial and verdict

On June 6, 1908, Heider was sentenced to ten years in prison for lust murder.

The case was featured on an episode of the ∇-Podcast:

## References

1. ↑ Friedenauer Lokal- Anzeiger vom 13.04.1908
2. ↑ Der Knabenmord. in: Berliner Volkszeitung from April 13th, 1908
3. ↑ Berliner Börsen Zeitung of April 11, 1908
4. ↑ Friedenauer Lokal-Anzeiger from April 14, 1908
  **The Episodes**

1906–08: Demolition (Season 1)
**1908: Boy murder**
1913–14: Birth
1931: Showdown
1934–35: Demolition (Season 2)
1919–37: Raids
1973: Festival
1973/74: Spectacle
1989: Women's Congress
2016–2018: Intendantenwechsel