Maschsee murderer back in court: hostage-taking and torture in Düsseldorf
Alexander K., previously convicted of murder, goes before the Düsseldorf Regional Court on Tuesday. He is accused of restraining, strangling and threatening his new girlfriend with waterboarding.
New trial against the Maschsee murderer: violence against Düsseldorf girlfriend
As focus.de reports, Alexander K., known as the so-called Maschsee murderer, must appear in court again on Tuesday, 15 September — this time before the Düsseldorf Regional Court. The now 38-year-old is accused of hostage-taking and dangerous bodily harm.
K. was sentenced to twelve years imprisonment by the Hanover Regional Court in 2013 for murder and committed to psychiatric care. He was released mid-last year after serving his sentence. Even then, his ex-girlfriend had described him as a "time bomb ticking away" that could explode at any moment.
Met via TikTok, escalated on 22 December
According to the prosecution, K. moved in with his new girlfriend in Düsseldorf last year after the two came into contact via TikTok. On 22 December 2025, the woman is said to have got to know him from the side that her former partner had warned her about.
According to the indictment, K. sat on the woman and strangled her for several seconds with both hands. In doing so, he is said to have said: "I would have preferred to kill you."
New Year's Day: confinement, threats, waterboarding
A few days later, on 1 January 2026, there was another violent outburst. The woman had sent a voice message to her ex-boyfriend via her mobile phone. K. is said to have noticed this, then locked her in the flat and taken all the keys.
When the woman refused to hand over her phone to him, K. is said to have asked: "Do you want me to kill you?" He then allegedly beat her, threatened her with a saw and injured her. In the bathroom, he restrained her to the shower fitting. In the event that she called for help, he threatened her with waterboarding.
According to the indictment, he then let cold water run over her head and body for half an hour, so that she could barely breathe. Only when she unlocked the phone for him did he let her go. The woman sustained a cut wound as well as severe bruising on her wrists, head, back and buttocks. Shortly afterwards, the then 37-year-old was arrested at Düsseldorf Central Station — armed with several knives.
Background: murder born of bloodlust at the Maschsee
In 2012, K. killed a 44-year-old prostitute from Ibbenbüren in Hanover, dismembered her and threw the body parts into the Maschsee. A passer-by discovered the woman's torso in a bin bag on the bank. The Hanover Regional Court determined that he had been driven by pure bloodlust.
The court classified the then 25-year-old as having diminished responsibility on the basis of a severe personality disorder as well as alcohol and drug abuse, and did not impose a life sentence. A psychiatric expert at the time attested to him a high risk of reoffending and stated that further extreme acts of violence were possible at any time. Release was originally supposed to occur only if a cure was demonstrated.
The trigger for the murder was that the victim had made fun of his far-right views. In his flat, investigators found knives and a crossbow alongside a photograph of Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik.
Self-promotion after release
After his release, K. reportedly attracted attention, according to consistent media reports, by attempting to commercialise and profit financially from his crime. On TikTok, he is said to have flirted with the murder, promoted T-shirts with macabre designs, launched a donation campaign for his own social reintegration and offered a book titled "The Maschsee Murderer". His Berlin defence lawyer declined to comment on the charges before the start of the trial.
Source: Google News DE — Crime (de)