In the beginning Rudolf was just a thief. He would find people alon crossing into the west and rob them, occasionally touching them up a bit on the way. But this all changed in March of 1946 when his theft turned into murder.
At age seven Rudolf had tortured and killed a cat, but now at the ripe age of 24 he killed and raped Eva Miehe. Rudolf beat her then raped her and took it one step further and bashed her skull in with one blow of an axe. He later said that he murdered her for "sexual gratification."He then dumped her body in a canal. Rudolf would continue to follow this MO quite frequently. Other victims followed through 1946 and early 1947, with Rudolf impersonating a police officer, offering to escort female refugees into the Western Zone. Instead of sanctuary they found death, and they were invariably raped by Rudolf then killed and mutilated as he tried his hand with hatchets, hammers, knives, and stones.
At times Rudolf had accomplices to some murders. Karl Hoffman (36) and Konrad Shuessler (22) went out with Rudolf occasionally but it was always Rudolf who would finish off the victim.
In 1947 he was caught after he killed his first and only male victim, a traveling salesman, with an axe. He was sentenced to twelve years in prison. Marking time in his cell he began to write his memoirs titled "Mien Kampf" (My Fight), signing it Rudolf Pliel- Death Maker (Retired). In his memoirs he made sure to add the descriptions of 25 gruesome murders. Once this was discovered the police began to look into his crimes. The investigation was going nowhere until Lydia Schmidt came forward to tell of ger run-in with Rudolf. She told the police how she had been beaten, raped, and left for dead. When questioned about the murders he had described and of Lydia, Rudolf denied nothing. Police then launched a full-scale investigation charging Rudolf with 9 rape slayings. Five of the victims were never identified but police did name two accomplices, Karl and Konrad who were charged with various crimes including that of accessory to murder. (They were both released in the early 70's) Rudolf's behavior was bizarre and arrogant throughout the trial. Whenever prosecueters made a reference to his estimated body count he interrupted and said, "It is 25, I had 25 victims but they can only find 9 of the bodies. You underrestermate me. I am Germany's greatest killer. I put others both abroad and here to shame." Rudolf denined angrily that his victims had been killed for purposes of robbery; maintaining that the random slaughter had been for sexual gain. "What I did was not such great harm," he declared. "With all these surplus women nowadays. Anyway I had a good time."
In June 1958, Rudolf sent an application to the mayor Von Vienenburg, stating his skills as a fast killer. The 26 year old applied for the job of executioner. To support his credentials Rudolf asked the mayor to visit an old well and indeed they found two women strangled. In time Rudolf became tired of the sadistic game and kept to his promise of "I'll hang myself someday." In February 1958 a jailer found him dangling in his cell - the final victim of his desire to kill.
~Kaylah