The hunt for Berlin's S-Bahn Killer (Part 2/2) | Forensic Files

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simplysafe.com case File foreign [Music] deal with serious and often distressing
incidents if you feel at any time you need support please contact your local crisis center
for suggested phone numbers for confidential support please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on
our website the s-bahn commuter train rattled along in the darkness towards the Eastern side
of Berlin slowly the cityscape gave way to the sprawling Suburbia of friedrich's Felder
it was here in the early hours of August 13 1939 that Lena budzinski disembarked
walking alone she headed towards the nearby allotment Garden located throughout Berlin allotment
Gardens allowed City dwellers to embrace a quasi-rural lifestyle they could purchase or rent a modest
plot of land on Garden grounds to cultivate their own crops or raise small livestock
during the day the gardens were peaceful narrow paths wove through the ornamental
fruit trees and Fields of home-grown vegetables gardeners tended to their little patch
of Countryside to the ambient sounds of the resident chickens Pigs and the goats
the Fredericks Felder Gardens also provided a direct route from the train station to the nearby tenement housing
servicing local residents like Lena budzinski as night fell street lights lanterns and
wood-fire stoves bust the gardens in a warm glow yet the atmosphere within the grounds
had changed in recent times the Nazi party had issued regulations that prevented the illumination of
public spaces at night it wasn't an official blackout but more of a preparation for things to come
to help navigate the darkness and avoid collisions citizens pinned phosphorus and badges that absorbed sunlight to the
front of their clothing making the Badgers glow green at night as Elena budzinski wandered alone
through the Fredericks Felder allotment Garden her movements were highlighted by
the pale green glow of her badge Lena was almost home when she heard footsteps approaching from behind
they started gaining pace Lena panicked and started running towards her house prompting the person
behind her to speed up as Lena pushed through her front gate she was hit hard over the head causing
her to crumble to the ground [Music] momentarily can cast Lena could only watch as a manly figure appeared over
her he was breathing quickly and heavily trying to catch his breath the man didn't utter a word before
shoving a knife into Lena's back he pulled it out and stabbed Elena three more times before fleeing
a knife-wielding assailant was active in friedrich's Felder and local women needed to be warned
yet his actions didn't make the papers and would soon be superseded altogether by an even bigger story that broke weeks
later on Friday September 1 1939 [Music] the siege of the Doom capital of Poland
the city under bombardment [Music] blasted and burning for three weeks one of the bravest defenses in history the
Hopeless resistance of devastated Warsaw Hitler visits the besieging army during
his tour in conquered Poland which is subjugated and partitioned the defending Army Shattered by the lightning Strokes
of the Blitzkrieg the Nazi fear has the heir of a conqueror as he surveys the artillery bombardment of Warsaw which
still resists but cannot resist much longer a capital city wrapped in flame and horror
Dancy Hitler in the city the dispute over which led to the European War this Nazi demonstration was staged the day
before Hitler flew back to Berlin and made his latest speech suggesting peace which Great Britain and France reject
Hitler faced with a prospect of a long Relentless War foreign [Music] ER she was not the first one to be
attacked in the friedrichs Felder Garden in recent times a lone perpetrator had been lurking around at night using the
pre-war blackout preparation to his advantage hiding in the shadows of the looming
trees or makeshift shads he'd wait until he saw the familiar Green Glow of a phosphorescent badge
if it was pinned to a lone woman the man would leap out from his hiding place and
shine a torched directly into the woman's eyes rendering her momentarily blinded and disorientated
he'd then loudly bombard her with the vulgar sexual remarks or threats his behavior escalated over time and the
verbal abuse soon turned physical he would grab grope and punch his victims sometimes even choking them to
prevent them from calling out for help in one instance a woman managed to let out a screen before the perpetrator
gripped his hands around her throat He was unaware that the woman's husband and one of his friends were waiting
nearby and overheard the commotion they rushed over and managed to tackle the assailant to the ground while
yelling for the police fueled by fear the men managed to overpower them and break free fleeing
into the surrounding bushes seemingly learning from this mistake the man took to disabling his victims first
by striking them over the head with a heavy object so that they couldn't call out for help
he also began carrying a knife [Music] so far around 30 other women had been targeted but none had been able to get a
good look at the perpetrator as he hadn't yet seriously harmed anyone the case wasn't treated as a high
priority and with the news dominated by the ongoing actions of the German Armed Forces most local residents remained
unaware of the looming threat it wasn't until Elena budzinski was stabbed outside her home that police
realized that they were dealing with a serious offender he laid low for a while which kept the
police at Bay but unable to resist his urges the assailant eventually continued his spree
reverting back to scaring women with his flashlight and verbal taunts to avoid an
immediate reaction from police it took four months before his desire to kill returned
foreign news of the serial attacker spread slowly through word of mouth but those
who were aware of the lurking danger weren't able to do much about it with the war underway the output needed
from Germany's factories was more demanding than ever women were forced to continue working
well into the late hours producing industrial materials or the Weaponry necessary to sustain the Nazi war
machine there was little they could do except hope they wouldn't cross paths with the
attacker on their way home on Thursday December 14 19 year old factory worker hiyota yablinski finished
her late shift and deborded the s-bahn headed for her home in friedrichs Felder it was around 1 13 am by the time she
disembarked outside of the local allotment Gardens and began on her path home as she made her way through the dark she
heard footsteps closing in behind her heater paused and looked over her shoulder
while she couldn't see anything but Darkness she could feel someone else's presence
Panic washed over her ta broke out in a Sprint desperate to get to the safety of home
but the footsteps started up again increasing in speed until she could feel the person right behind her
all of a sudden heater felt a heavy thud to her head she fell over and was immediately
overcome by a stabbing pain a man stood over her silently forcing a knife into her neck over and over
using all her strength kirta managed to let out a scream it worked to Spook the man and he
quickly fled the scene the Fredericks Felder attacker had struck again just like he had done after stabbing
Lena budzinski he kept a low profile for several weeks until the police investigations dissipated
once he felt like he was in the clear he returned to his hunting ground and eased
back into his spree with minor confrontations getting a kick out of scaring the women who passed the buyer
occasionally he elevated into physical assaults but nothing that would provoke police into an active Manhunt
this time it took eight months before his urge to kill returned at around 1 30 a.m on Saturday July 27
1940 25 year old Gertrude de nissvant walked quickly through the Fredericks Felder Gardens
it soon dawned on her that she was being followed Gertrude didn't live in the area but had
taken the s-bahn to visit her parents who lived nearby although she hadn't heard anything about
the Spate of attacks her instincts immediately sensed to Danger Gertrude picked up the pace
the person walking in the shadows behind did the same adrenaline sword through Gertrude's
veins and everything in her body told her to run she reassured herself it was likely just
another train passenger making their way home and managed to remain calm when she finally reached her parents
home relief washed over her but as Gertrude made her way to the front porch she heard footsteps behind
her she turned around and came face to face with the man she didn't recognize his
face barely visible through the darkness although Gertrude realized the man had been following her she assumed he had
relatively innocuous intentions yet he seemed to genuinely taken aback by how calm Gertrude was
she stood there silently staring at him eventually the man felt compelled to break the awkward silence
are you going in there he asked indicating towards the house Gertrude replied curtly of course
she didn't think the man was dangerous but wanted him to leave her alone she warned leave or else I will yell
the man raised his arm do not cry yet he said he then he Gertrude hard forcing her to
the ground as she lay there incapacitated the man stood over her and stabbed her in the
neck he removed the knife and stabbed her again this time near her groin despite the deep wound in Gertrude's
neck she managed to let out a scream it took the man completely by surprise shocked he fled into the darkness
Gertrude denisvant was the first victim who sustained an injury that appeared to
be sexually motivated adding a new layer of complexity to the crimes this time the perpetrator didn't wait
months for the trail to go well and truly cold before striking again three weeks later on the evening of
Wednesday August 21 40 year old Yuli Shu Maha was walking home alone through the
Fredericks Felder Gardens all of a sudden a flash of light sparked in front of her
Julie had become so accustomed to the darkness that the bright light caused her physical pain
realizing the light had come from a flashlight wielding man Yuli angrily yelled at him to stop
he didn't respond instead he struck Yuli over the head with a heavy blunt object rendering her
unconscious when Yuli came too she realized she'd been raped there was no sign of her attacker and
police believed he might have fled the scene after falsely believing Yuli was dead
she wasn't the only one who survived one of his more serious assaults Lena budzinski fiota yablinski and a
Gertrude denisvant had all also miraculously survived their ordeals despite the offender's best efforts he
hadn't managed to kill anyone having now carried out a rape there was no doubt the attacks were sexually
motivated police began to suspect the assailant might have intended to rape the other
women too but had been forced to flee mid attack after some managed to scream out
once again the severity of the attacks diminished in the wake of yuli's rape but they didn't stop completely
at least a dozen more women reported being harassed by a flashlight-wielding man in the friedrich's Felder Gardens
with police believing there might have been more who chose not to come forward foreign
on Sunday August 25 1940 an explosion rocked Berlin aircraft under the command of UK prime
minister Winston Churchill Dropped a Bomb on the city in retaliation for a similar attack carried out by German
planes over London it was the first time bombs had ever fallen on Berlin and while the only
thing destroyed was a garden house the impact on morale was immense up until this point the people of Berlin
believed their military leadership when they said the British would never bomb Germany now anything was possible
fearing another more deadly attack German citizens continued to live each night In Perpetual Darkness hoping to
prevent British aircraft from hitting their targets Berlin's official war-induced blackout
mimicked the one currently in place in London to discourage German attacks windows were painted black street lights
were dimmed and the few vehicles on the road had their headlights blocked within days of initiating the official
blackout the Nazi party severely increased punishments for those who took advantage of the darkened conditions to
commit crime a few months in prison for a crime committed during the day became a death
sentence if it were committed at night this didn't deter the Fredericks Felder guard an attacker
with more areas now consumed by Darkness his hunting ground only increased by Friday September 20 1940 one month
had passed since the attempted murder of Yuli Schumacher Gerda Cargill was riding the s-bahn home
after a long day due to the blackout measures the s-bahn was operating with only one quarter of
its usual lighting and all the windows were covered the dim lights coupled with the motion
of the train slowly lulled gerdo off to sleep when she jolted awake she realized she'd
accidentally slept through her intended stop Gerda quickly disembarked at the next
station where she waited in the dark for the next train to take her back in the opposite direction
with the train exteriors a void of light certain spots had been covered with phosphorus paint so they'd emit a small
glow at night eventually Gerda saw the glow of the inbound train followed by the
clickety-clack sound of its Wheels as it slowed to a stop [Music] she boarded and took a seat with the
train continuing onwards until Gerda was the only one left in the compartment with men away at War the trains were
often only populated by women by Nightfall many women were at home looking after their families leaving the
local trains near empty with only late shift workers and transportation staff on board
it was around 11 30 PM by the time the train departed vulhaida station as it barreled onwards towards
Frederick's Hagen a man approached a girder once he was within Arm's Reach he suddenly launched himself at her
wrapping his hands at her throat Gerda struggled against him attempting to drag him away towards the sliding
door on the side of the train the door could be manually pulled open even when the train was in motion so
Gerda recognized this as an opportunity to save herself she managed to make it to the door with
the man's hands still wrapped around her throat but she lost Consciousness before
she was able to slide it open by this point the train was only minutes from the next station
fearing a boarding passenger would realize what he'd done get his attacker opened the sliding door
with the train still speeding along at roughly 40 to 50 miles per hour he pushed to girder out
her body was swept up by the fierce wind flying through the air for several moments before hitting the ground with
the hard thud [Music] the following morning a passer buyer was walking near the train tracks beyond the
vulhada station when they heard screams for help they went to investigate and found a
Gerda cargo lying in pain her attacker had mistaken her for Dad when he pushed her unconscious body off
the train and as luck would have it Gerda had landed on a soft pile of sand had she landed on the rocky surrounds
she would have most certainly died from Impact instead Gerda had only suffered a
concussion and multiple abrasions and gerda's personal belongings were discovered a little further up the track
indicating her attacker had thrown them out the door immediately after pushing girder out
yet when Gerda reported her ordeal to the police they were skeptical given there was no sign that Gerda had
been sexually assaulted or robbed police weren't convinced that a crime had taken
place at all they felt good as story that a random stranger would strangle and push her out
of a train for no reason was too far-fetched when girder admitted she'd had a few
drinks before boarding the train and had fallen asleep during the trip police believed the more likely scenario was
that Gerda had been drunk and accidentally fell off the moving train in the dark
she then made up the story about the assault to cover her own missteps train-related accidents and fatalities
weren't uncommon during the blackout with numerous passengers falling off of trains or platforms due to the lack of
lighting it was a price the Nazi party was willing to pay as they were at the height of their power and enemy bombings
continued in Berlin prolonging the need for the blackouts two weeks later twenty-year-old Gertrude
Ditta stood alone at the rumorsborg train station waiting for the s-bahn a man soon approached and struck up a
conversation Gertrude was Charmed by him and gave him her home address when asked
it faced the allotment Gardens in the neighboring suburb of friedrich's folder at around midday the following day a
member of the Nazi party went to Gertrude's home to speak to her about some personal matters
he knocked on the front door but there was no response he tried the door handle and was
surprised to find it unlocked he pushed the door open slightly and looked inside
blackout drapes were drawn across the windows making it difficult to see much through the darkness
the man lit a match and as the flicker of light cast across the small dark kitchen he spotted Gertrude's body
propped up against the table with one of her hands resting on a bench Gertrude's eyes were bloodshot and her
long black hair was tucked behind her badly bruised neck which also bore a deep wound
a fractured hyoid bone revealed that she had been strangled with intense Force before being stabbed and dying of blood
loss Gertrude had no defensive wounds and her house wasn't in disarray which indicated
she likely knew her killer and had willingly let him inside before he launched a Swift and unexpected attack
lying on the ground underneath Gertrude's right hand was a kitchen knife it didn't contain any blood or foreign
fingerprints making it unlikely that it had been used against her instead it had probably been knocked
about during the scuffle or Gertrude might have wielded it in defense the murder weapon was deemed to be a
pocket knife which was nowhere to be found Gertrude hadn't been sexually assaulted
and nothing was taken from her house Gertrude's two infant children were found asleep and unharmed in the living
room oblivious to what had taken place given that most of Gertrude's neighbors had been asleep at the time of the
attack no one had seen or heard anything suspicious the blackout ensured the man had moved
through the area completely unnoticed Gertrude's injuries matched the Fredericks Felder Garden attacker's Mo
to a t leaving no doubt for the police that the same man was responsible given that this was his first successful
murder the efforts to identify him dramatically increased women who had survived the previous
attacks were re-interviewed and by piecing together their small Recollections police ascertained that
the perpetrator was between 30 and 40 years old around 170 centimeters tall and with a quote
y facial expression some recalled he had been wearing a short leather jacket Sports shirt with
an open collar dark pants and a blue visor cap some had seen him riding or pushing a
bicycle posters containing these details were displayed throughout the Fredericks
Felder allotment Gardens and surrounds along with the offer of a 1 000 Russ marks reward
the post is red for a long time in Colony Goodland and the surrounding area solitary women have
been immorally harassed and some have also been wounded with a knife especially in the dark by an unknown
offender it is to be assumed that the murder of Gertrude Dida concerns the same offender
it is the duty of every citizen to actively participate in identifying this demon
[Music] by this point the Fredericks Felder Garden attacks had been going on for
over a year but most local women still weren't fully aware of the lingering Danger
even though the wanted posters mentioned Gertrude did his murder they significantly downplayed the threat and
failed to detail the offender's history of sexually motivated violence and rape one newspaper encouraged for known sex
offenders to be looked into but the newspaper was published for the Reich criminal investigation department and
was only read by law enforcement personnel given that police had disregarded Gerda
cargill's account of being strangled and thrown from the s-bahn as fictitious a connection hadn't been made to the train
line similarly no one knew that Gertrude Ditta had met her killer at the rumorsport train station hours before
she was attacked therefore the stops along the train line weren't highlighted as significant areas
in the police investigation and women continued riding the s-bahn alone at night with no additional sense of
vigilance on the evening of November 4 1940 30 year old Elizabeth bendorff finished her
late shift selling train tickets it had been less than a month since Gertrude Ditta had been murdered just a
short walk from where Elizabeth now stood at the aspan station in friedrichs Felder
she boarded the train just after 11 pm and sat down a cross from a male passenger
they were the only two in the compartment and as the train moved away from the station the man struck up some
small torque by the time the train reached Hirsch Garden station he stood at the door of
the compartment and looked out to the platform no one else boarded their compartment
and the train took off once more as soon as the train started moving the man walked over to Elizabeth
he removed a thick piece of lead piping he had hidden up his jacket sleeve and brought it down hard on Elizabeth's head
she was temporarily concussed but regained Consciousness relatively quickly and began screaming for help
her cries were muted but the loud sounds of the train as It sped along the tracks
ensuring no other passengers could hear her the man hit Elizabeth with the pipe over
and over until she eventually slumped down onto the floor the attacker then opened the compartment
door with the intention of pushing Elizabeth's body into the rush of cold air outside
he turned around to grab her but to his surprise Elizabeth was still alive and had started inching away from him
once again he beat her repeatedly with the lead pipe Elizabeth clung to Consciousness but was
no longer able to scream or fight back as her attacker dragged her towards the open door
he continued pelting Elizabeth's back and kicking her body until the train descended towards the next station
he then started molesting her just before the train lost momentum he pushed Elizabeth through the open door
and out into the darkness [Music] like a get a cargo before her Elizabeth bendorff miraculously survived being
thrown from the s-bahn she suffered a severe concussion and extensive injuries and it took eight
days of treatment in the hospital before she had recovered enough to be questioned by police
while Elizabeth could describe her attack she couldn't identify the man responsible
regardless police no longer doubted a good at cargill's story [Music] neither Gerda nor Elizabeth got a clear
look of the offender's face and the small descriptions they could provide conflicted one another
still police now had a new crime scene to examine for Clues they searched the s-bahn and while it
was difficult to single out the attacker's fingerprints in the compartments due to it being such a high
traffic area they did find something of significance behind one of the seat cushions police
uncovered the lead pipe that had been used to beat Elizabeth Bendorf the blood-stained pipe was two inches
thick and 20 inches long with telephone cable inside and numbers printed on the exterior
it was unclear why the perpetrator had left it behind but he did have the foresight to wipe down the section he'd
been holding on to to remove his fingerprints while any old piece of lead pipe would
be near impossible to trace the numbers on this pipe allowed police to identify it as having come from cable that was
laid alongside the s-bahn tracks around rumorsborg a year and a half prior police looked into the workers who had
originally laid the cable and ruled them out as suspects one by one there were only two other ways in which
the piping could have been obtained one of the workers could have haphazardly tossed it aside with the
attacker later stumbling upon it the problem with this theory was that with Germany at War scrap metal was
valuable and therefore unlikely to be willfully discarded alternatively the piping could have been
stolen from the warehouse where the scrap pieces of cable were taken after the job was done
thousands of people had access to the warehouse meaning anyone could have swiped it
investigators determined that the same piece of pipe had been used against Yuli Schumacher thus confirming that
friedrichs Felder garden and s-bahn attacks were carried out by the same offender
but they were quick to realize the weapon wasn't The Smoking Gun they had anticipated
[Music] given that no one had been killed on the s-bahn news of the attacks didn't spread
and no increased safety measures were put in place for the most part life on the s-bahn
continued as normal just like he had with his attacks in the friedrichs Felder Gardens the offender
waited until police attention had waned and was focused elsewhere before striking again
on the night of Tuesday December 3 1940 one month after the attack on Elizabeth Bendorf the perpetrator rode the s-bahn
with a 15-inch iron Rod concealed up his jacket sleeve given that Elizabeth had survived he
decided he would no longer engage his victims in small talk first the chance of them getting a good look
at him was too risky when he spotted 26 year old Nur cellfrida Franca traveling alone in a
compartment he walked right up to her pulled out his iron rod and struck her in the head without saying a word
learning from his previous mistakes this time he hit harder to ensure Alfreda would be completely incapacitated and
unable to scream or try to escape Alfreda was struck with such force that her skull was shattered and her brain
damaged killing her instantly her killer then pushed her body out of the train before it reached the next
station less than half an hour later nineteen-year-old Emma guard Fraser was walking alone along a quiet street
halfway between the Carl's horse and rumorsburg train stations on the nearby tracks the s-bahn came to
a stop within minutes it was off again the sound of its motor Fading Into the distance
M guard didn't have a moment to acknowledge what came next suddenly a dark figure silently launched
from the Shadows raising an iron rod in the air before bringing it down on M guard's head knocking her out instantly
she was hit three more times in quick succession the rod crushing her skull imguard's body was left out in the open
Street where it was found at 4 30 am the disheveled state of her clothing confirmed she'd been raped
shockingly despite her extensive head injuries imguard was still alive she was rushed to hospital with the
detective by her side in case she regained Consciousness and revealed any key information about the attack
unfortunately that never happened M guard Fraser died later that day from a brain hemorrhage due to her severely
fractured skull case File will be back shortly thank you for supporting us by listening to this
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without the r best fiends foreign 1933 the super salesman with the lymph Joseph gebbels helps catapult Adolf
Hitler and the Nazis into power in Germany his reward the ministry of propaganda is objective the minds and
Souls of 18 million Germans a hypnotic speaker every word every rehearsed gesture is totally calculated
to hit its Mark propaganda is an art best achieved by genius doubles has written H.R Trevor Roper tells how he
does it he had absolute control over the organs of propaganda they press the radio
everything so they were centralized and what he wanted to say could be put before the German people without
contradiction what he did was to create the image of the party the image of the fuhrer when Gumball speaks to the German
people who are strictly forbidden to listen to foreign broadcasts radio wardens see that they listen doctor
Joseph Goebbels was well aware that a serial killer was active in eastern Berlin
he knew that the s-bahn murderer as he'd come to be known had an extensive history of offending with his actions
escalating over time now that the perpetrator was striking multiple times in one night local women
were in Greater danger and the Goebbels understood that there was little the police could do
their resources were already stretched due to the war and the blackout induced crime wave
they were also vastly inexperienced to tackle a case of this magnitude regardless as the minister of propaganda
Goebbels didn't want any word of it getting out as detailed in the book a serial killer
in Nazi Berlin Goebbels wanted German citizens to fear the Nazi regime and not think they could get away with
committing violent crimes he also didn't want the German men who were fighting in the war to think they'd
be better off protecting their loved ones at home consequently the s-bond murderer was
kept out of the press a few posters requesting information about Alfreda Franco's murder were
dotted around train stations but they implied it was a one-off crime not the work of a serial killer
not only did this censorship put more women at risk it also prevented anyone with information that could be helpful
to the investigation from coming forward police did what they could within the limitations set by the government
offering a reward of ten thousand reich's marks for information pertaining to alfreda's murder
this was a significant amount of money at the time with a small home in the area costing around 150 reich's marks
complicating matters was the unpredictability of the Killer's Behavior while he had a clear Mo his crimes
weren't always carried out in the same manner or location sometimes he struck in the expansive
allotment Gardens on the s-bahn or along the surrounding streets sometimes he interacted with thought
taunted his victims other times he struck without any word or warning although the s-bahn murderer had only
committed a few sexual assaults police believed all his crimes were sexually motivated
whether or not he raped or molested his victims depended if he thought he could get away with it in time without getting
caught time was of the essence with the attacks occurring more frequently it signified
that the thrill was wearing off quicker for the s-bahn murderer he would likely continue to strike more
often to satisfy his desire Eda Schmidt not her real name was dressed in her nicest clothes when she
boarded the S Barn alone and entered an area known as the second class compartment
it was the same section where women had previously been attacked and thrown from
the moving train the compartment was empty when Ada took her seat but her peaceful Journey was
soon interrupted by a lone male passenger slowly he approached Ada although she couldn't see his face due
to the poor lighting she could tell that he was wearing a buttonless black jacket
and a hat that together looked like some kind of uniform suddenly the man stopped in his tracks
he could tell that ADA didn't appear afraid instead her posture suggested she was on heightened alert as though
prepared to defend herself Ada thought the man looked confused as to what to do next
suddenly he rushed to the side door before Ada could react he yanked it open and launched himself out of the moving
train into the darkness he landed without causing significant injury Ada watched as he ran towards the nearby
rumorsburg train station before losing sight of him completely once the train came to a stop Ada's
compartment was swarmed by police she was an undercover officer posing as a civilian hoping to lure out the espan
murderer although it couldn't be confirmed with absolute certainty that the man who
approached Ada was the killer his behavior was suspicious enough for police to strongly believe it was
additionally while the garden attacker dressed in casual clothing survivors of the s-bahn attacks reported that the
perpetrator wore some kind of uniform police scoured the tracks into nearby stations but found no sign of the man
no one who had crossed paths with the espar murderer was able to accurately identify what kind of uniform it was
their accounts differed with some describing it as blue While others said black some said he wore a hat with an emblem
on the front many civilian and Military uniformed organizations existed within the Nazi
regime and some of their uniforms were very similar making it difficult for police to narrow the suspect down to any
particular group they considered whether he could be wearing the uniform of the elite German
paramilitary organization the should staffel widely known as the SS while the latest iteration of their
uniform was gray there had been a black version at one stage members also wore a distinct peaked cap
with an eagle and a skull and crossbones Insignia on it the possibility that the s-bahn murderer
could be part of the SS had major implications police handled this Theory discreetly
while continuing with their efforts to catch the Killer more decoys rode on the s-bahn including
male police officers dressed in feminine clothing it was hoped the killer wouldn't notice
the ruse in the darkened conditions and they lingered on the trains at night waiting for the killer to strike
the winter sun was yet to rise on the morning of Sunday December 22 1940 when 30 year old Elizabeth bungener boarded
the second-class compartment of the s-bahn at 6am she was alone but excited she was headed to see her military
husband who was currently stationed outside of Berlin but the two would never be reunited
six hours later Elizabeth's body was found lying on the railway tracks between Frederick's Hagen and ransdorf
stations she had been repeatedly struck in the head with a blunt instrument likely an
iron Rod or a lead pipe Elizabeth survived the Savage beating but was killed when her body was pushed
from the moving train Elizabeth bunganair was the fourth killing carried out by the s-bahn
murderer and the first to have been targeted in the morning it was cleared to police that whoever
was responsible was changing tactics as if they knew about the decoys monitoring
Dias Barn at night police resources were far too stretched to have undercover officers Manning the
train Round the Clock late on the morning of Sunday December 29 just one week after the murder of
Elizabeth bungener another body was discovered on the side of the railroad tracks
46 year old Gertrude de zivard had been traveling alone in the second class compartment of the s-bahn hours earlier
when she was struck to the head and thrown from the moving train between the Carl's horse and rumorsborg stations
by the time she was found Gertrude was barely clinging to life she was rushed to hospital but died
later that day 27 year old hedwick ebower was targeted the following Sunday this time the s-bahn murderer used an
old tactic he choked head Vig until she fell unconscious then threw her body from the
Train hedvig who was three months pregnant was found alive by the railroad tracks near
vulhada station but later died from the injury she sustained upon impact seven women had now been attacked on the
train five of whom were killed despite the government's best efforts to keep news of the serial killer Under
Wraps rumors of his actions were spreading across Berlin the police requested permission from
Joseph Goebbels to print an article in a city-wide newspaper to officially address the crimes and warn commuters
Goebbels reluctantly agreed but on the condition that all it said was that a person was quote making trouble on the
s-bahn the article did divulge that women had been thrown from the vehicle but it
didn't mention how many or that they died as a result Goebbels also permitted matching Flyers
to be distributed to the public but kept the amount at 2 000. he forbade an announcement from being
broadcast on the radio as he didn't want word to spread outside of Berlin Goebbels had his own idea about how to
ensure the safety of the city's female passengers he requested that men volunteer to
chaperone lone women traveling on the s-bahn at night the only men who could apply for this
role were members of a paramilitary wing of the Nazi party who enforced the regime through physical violence
these men were referred to as brown shirts named after the color of their uniform
to be given the role of a brown shirt was considered an honor reserved for trustworthy men with no criminal record
the minister of propaganda's strategy appeared successful as lone female passengers were escorted
on the s-bomb by Brown Shirts the remainder of January passed with no further incidents
[Music] mother of three 39 year old Johanna Voigt stood alone at the rumorsborg train station
it was 10 pm on Tuesday February 11 and Johanna was nervous she knew about the s-bahn murderer and
given she was pregnant Johanna feared for the safety of her unborn baby her worry must have been palpable
because an experienced brown shirt approached having spent the day assisting women on their travels
typically women had to check in as part of the program and a brown shirt would then be authorized by Joseph Goebbels
himself to personally escort her Johanna hadn't made any such Arrangements but she asked the brown
shirt if he would be willing to accompany her to Carl's horse station although he'd already clocked off Carl's
horse was only one station away so the men agreed the pair entered the empty second-class
compartment and took a seat as the train took off and gained momentum the brown shirt suddenly pulled
an iron Rod out from his jacket sleeve and immediately struck Johanna in their head with it
he then dragged her unconscious body to the door of the train and pushed her out
Johanna survived the initial attack but by the time she was found she'd succumbed to her injuries
there was nothing amongst Johannes belongings that hinted towards her Killer's identity
rather it was the absence of a certain item that gave investigators pause like several of the other victims
Johanna Voigt had been traveling on the s-bahn without a ticket an offense punishable by fine
while measures were in place to prevent people from riding the s-bahn without a valid ticket it was to be expected that
the odd passenger would slip through without pain however it struck investigators as odd
that so many of the murder victims were riding freely given it was highly unlikely that all of
them had managed to avoid crossing paths with a ticket inspector investigators developed a theory
if the killer was a current or former s-bahn employee or posing as one he could approach his victims without
causing alarm some of the victims could have been lured onto the train with the promise of
a free and safe journey alternatively the killer could have confronted the women under the guise of
checking their tickets before launching an attack curiously get a cargo recalled that her
attacker had approached her shortly before she boarded the s-bahn and directed her to the second class
compartment [Music] considering he was dressed in uniform she assumed he was a railroad employee
and obeyed his command without question Elizabeth Bendorf had also been told to board the second class compartment by a
uniformed man shortly before her attack yet both women clarified that he wasn't impersonating a ticket inspector
the s-bahn was staffed by employees of the national railroad whose uniforms included a hat adorned with an eagle
clutching a swastika given that this match to witness descriptions of the killer police had
initially considered whether the offender could be a railroad worker the problem was that there were over 5
000 uniformed employees of the national railroad spread across 28 departments so
narrowing down the suspect list would be no easy feat roughly a quarter were eliminated
immediately based on survivor's descriptions the rest had to be questioned in addition to having their work schedules
collated checked and verified get a cargo and Elizabeth Bendorf were shown thousands of photos of men who
worked for the s-bahn but neither woman recognized their attacker 8 000 people who lived around the
friedrichs Felder Gardens were also looked into under pressure from Joseph Goebbels to
solve the case hundreds more undercover and uniformed police officers were tasked with riding the s-bahn and
meaning the key train stations along the way with no distinguishing features to be on
the lookout for they questioned every man they came across every train platform and compartment was
diligently searched for any evidence of the Killer's presence which sometimes required entire sections of the train
line to be shut down police were finally able to publish a more detailed newspaper article about
the case this time revealing that multiple women had been killed they further increased the reward on
offer to 13 000 Rex marks for information pertaining to Johanna Voight's murder or any of the previous
attacks while warning women against riding in the second class compartment the article also detailed the
possibility that the offender was wearing a National Railway uniform or something similar
police were inundated with roughly 1500 tips from the public while none of the tip-offs led to the
identification of the perpetrator the heavy-handed investigation had seemingly brought an end to his killing spree
[Music] by Thursday July 3 1941 five months had passed since the aspan murderer had a
last struck with the increased police presence and the public now on high alert commuters
were safer than ever before in the early morning hours 35 year old Freda cozio rode the s-bahn without
incident she disembarked at rumorsburg station along with nine other women and one man
as they left the platform the group scattered to take their different routes home
[Music] Frida hit it alone down a path towards the nearby allotment Gardens once she reached the quiet and darkened
grounds she was struck in the back of the head with an iron bar the beating continued once she was on
the ground resulting in Frieda's skull caving in [Music] her attacker then tore off her clothing
below the waist and proceeded to rape her before fleeing the scene freda's bloodied and partially naked
body was found shortly after making her the eighth fatality at the hands of the s-bahn murderer
freda's death was a blow to investigators having narrowed in on the yes Barn they'd overlooked the perpetrator's
previous hunting grounds and hadn't thought to put safety measures in place in the allotment Gardens
the police felt partially responsible for Frida cochio's murder as it was clear that the killer knew the police
had taken over the train system instead of changing tactics to flush him out their defiant actions had forced the
killer away from the very spot they might have otherwise caught him [Music] still the gardens provided evidence that
the s-bahn did not a set of fresh shoe prints were pressed in the dirt surrounding freda's body and
led 50 meters Beyond indicating that someone had knelt down next to her body and inspected it before running from the
scene plus the molds of the prince revealed the shoeing question was a size 39 and a
half with an extra thick Rubber Sole and distinctive tread pattern they matched shoes manufactured by a
specialist Podiatry company as luck would have it the company kept a well-documented records of all their
customers including those who had purchased the size 39 and a half shoe armed with this list investigators began
tracking down and interviewing each of the customers most were fighting in the war or lived
too far away and were promptly ruled out but there was one man that called investigators interest
he lived near the rumorsborg train station right by the allotment Gardens where dozens of women had been attacked
he was a carpenter named V Hyman a check of his police records revealed that Hyman had a criminal conviction for
voyeurism having previously been caught spying on a couple having sex it was the only blemish on an otherwise
clean record Hyman was taken in for questioning during which he denied involvement in
any of the s-bahn murderers crimes in the meantime his home was searched for any evidence that could link him to
the case [Music] officers found a pair of custom Podiatry shoes and compared them to the molds
taken alongside Frida cotsiol's body they were a match when Hyman was informed of this
discovery he admitted that he'd stumbled across Frieda's body and had knelt down
to inspect it once he realized she was dead he fled the scene Hyman didn't admit to this earlier
because he was scared of being used as a scapegoat he was also mindful that the penalty for
sex-based crimes were severely Amplified during the blackout [Music] given his history as a convicted sex
offender he feared that he'd be handed a death sentence despite his innocence just so authorities could close the case
[Music] police were forced to drop the hymen lead when they discovered that he had
solid Alibis for a large percentage of the espan murderer's attacks thus ruling him out as the perpetrator
[Music] whether he'd face any repercussions for failing to report Frida cochio's murder
remained to be seen whatever the case police were back to square one [Music] case File will be back shortly thank you
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deliver quality content by the early morning Journey to the office on the breadwinner special many
of us like to relax with a crossword puzzle and a neighbor who doesn't want to talk about the weather for the
opposite sex no crossword but someone who does want to talk about the weather or anything else for that matter but for
the driver there is nothing relaxing about the trip the complex array of points and signals demand a higher
degree of concentration than that of the daily puzzlers but the driver is secure
in the knowledge that the signals are correct the constant addition of new and improved signaling systems handled by
highly skilled operators should give the green light to the most nervous passenger
following the murder of Frida cozio police extended their covert surveillance to the Fredericks Felder
allotment Gardens while also observing the s-bahn more discreetly although these preventative measures had
previously deterred the perpetrator temporarily the police knew they were unsustainable in the long term
once officers were forced to return to other duties the s-bahn murderer would no doubt resume his sprig
meanwhile investigators were still making their way through the long list of employees from the national railroad
questioning everyone about the murders none so far had raised their suspicions and the ticket inspector lead was a dead
end police considered the possibility that the killer wasn't a railroad employee at
all but had been wearing a fake or stolen uniform then a week after the murder of Frida
cosiol as they were wrapping up close to six months worth of railroad employee interviews there seemed to be a much
needed breakthrough police concluded the interviews with a standard question have you noticed anything suspicious
about any of your co-workers one man had [Music] spotted a colleague 28 year old Paul
ugazoff leaving work in the middle of his shift by jumping over a fence when confronted ulgasov said he was off
to see a woman he returned sometime later without any of his superiors noticing his absence
orgasov had worked for the railroad for six years having worked his way up from a temporary role as a manual laborer to
a permanent position as an auxiliary signalman he was stationed in a tower near the
rumorsburg station where he worked mostly alone monitoring signaling that ensured the trains ran efficiently and
safely despite having worked at the company for a long time ulgazov wasn't close to his colleagues
many didn't even know his name Paul ugazov had already been questioned in relation to the s-bahn murders
records showed he had been working at the time of the attacks and his role had him positioned in a signal Tower a
building along the railroad that was independent of the stations he was not required to ride the s-bahn
as part of his duties or interact with passengers officers had found ugazov assiduous and
industrious and he was praised by his superiors for his unblemished work history
he was ultimately ruled out of the investigation however when his colleague reported
ugazoff's history of Disappearing mid-shift his roster no longer provided him with an alibi
while ugazov didn't have a violent criminal record or history of sexual deviancy he had been arrested for
burglary some years prior even with this conviction there was nothing in ugazov's background to
suggest he was capable of the espan murderer's crimes he was a hard-working German National
and married father of two most importantly he was a long time and upstanding member of the Nazi party
ugazov relished being a Nazi party member and his loyalty was rewarded with the highly regarded position of Sergeant
in one of the group's paramilitary offshoots colloquially known as the brown shirts
this role saw him tasked with safely escorting women to and from the s-bahn during the height of the killings
ugazov dismissed the allegations that he'd previously left his work post saying whoever accused him of that was
either lying or mistaken it took some time before he finally confessed that it was true
he explained that he was having an affair with a married woman who lived nearby he'd initially lied to avoid getting
into trouble with his wife or employers the woman confirmed she and ugazoff were
having an affair and while this supported ugazoff's claims it didn't clear him as a suspect
all it did was prove he had a habit of abandoning his work post on the sly upon re-examining ugazoff's work
schedule for the Knights of the murders investigators discovered that the killings had occurred at times when no
trains had been passing through as ugazoff worked alone this meant he could have left his signal Tower without
anyone noticing his absence or lack of input a search of ugazov's home near the Fredericks Felder Gardens uncovered
several uniforms and matching caps including those he wore while on the job at first glance the clothing appeared
clean but a microscopic examination of the fabric revealed blood stains including a large amount around the
crotch area of his pants ugazov claimed the blood had come from his wife who had been sick three days
earlier she corroborated this story [Music] ugazoff added that he'd also recently
cut his finger and had wiped the blood on his pants testing confirmed the blood was indeed
human but there wasn't enough to establish what type it was and as DNA testing didn't exist at the time nothing
else could be ascertained blood stains were also found on ugazov's worker jacket
forensics concluded that this blood spatter was consistent with a violent attack
inside ugazov's home investigators also found a sports shirt dark pants and a blue visor cap similar to the outfit
worn by the flashlight wielding Menace In the Fredericks Felder Gardens it was an area ugazov was familiar with
as he had to pass through the Gardens on his way home from work due to his shift work this often took
place late at night and sometimes ugazoff was on his bike ugazoff denied doing anything wrong but
after intense questioning he eventually relented he admitted to being the bike riding
flashlight-wielding Man Who Would harassed women the year prior but maintained the worst offense he'd
committed was once grabbing a woman ugazov was taken to the Fredericks Felder Gardens to pinpoint exactly where
he had carried out the minor offenses he had confessed to it soon became clear that ugazov had
committed far more than he was willing to admit to [Music] over the next three hours he struggled
to keep track of where everything had taken place at one stage he pointed out a railway
underpass as the location where he'd scared a Woman by shining his flashlight at her
this was actually the place where a felony assault had reportedly taken place ulgazov pointed out two more spots that
he claimed were the setting of minor altercations when in fact they were the sites of two attempted murders
out of all the survivors only Gertrude denisvant was able to positively identify Paul ugazoff as her attacker
after seeing him in police custody hate confronted her on her parents doorstep and the pair had a brief
interaction before he had attacked once the garden tour was over ulgazor fast to speak with the officer
in charge of the serious crimes unit commissioner Wilhelm lutka investigators suspected this was a
tactic and ugazoff was perhaps going to use his standing in the Nazi party to influence a senior member of police
his request was granted but when ugazov was led into the interrogation room he was confronted with five skulls
belonging to the yesbahn murderer's victims they were placed on the center of a table with a light shining directly on
them their Hollow eyes aimed in ugazov's Direction ugazov looked at commissioner lutka and
immediately remarked you gotta help me he began to insist that he was a loyal member of the Nazi party and went on to
describe a violent acts he had committed against the Jewish people in the hopes that would endear him to ludka
commissioner ludka had endured the highs and lows of the espan murderer investigation and wanted the case solved
more than anyone he would later remark rarely has the work of the Berlin criminal police particularly homicide
been of such strong public interest Lucan knew the longer citizens lived in fear of the threat the more they would
question the abilities of those tasked with protecting them pretending to be sympathetic
commissioner Luca told Paul ugazoff that if he wanted help he would need to tell
the police exactly what he'd done [Music] ugazoff's next move was unexpected he admitted to committing the murders
but described them incorrectly saying he had stabbed the women to death he was trying to muddy the waters so it
would be difficult to convict him commissioner ludka pressed ugazov to reveal the truth by methodically going
over all the evidence including the skulls that were sitting before them Lodge Halls were clearly visible from
where they had each been struck with a heavy blunt object injuries that couldn't have been inflicted with a
knife at this point the blood drained from ugazov's face he said the injury must have occurred
when the victim fell from the train even though that possibility had already been
excluded by forensic experts commissioner ludka asked ugazov Point Blank what did you beat these women to death
with reaching the end of the line and Ashen and trembling ugazoff replied with a lead cable
[Music] the floodgates had opened and Paul ugazov confessed to everything in correct a detail
he spoke of the attacks in the garden and how he'd adjusted his tactics with each mistake eventually committing his
crimes on the s-bahn which he was innately familiar with he knew the second class compartment had
the fewest passengers and was empty more often making it the ideal spot to strike
he approached a lone female passengers while wearing his work or brown shirts uniform as he knew they would trust his
authority after each murder he returned home to his family who were none the wiser
he also revealed that upon pushing one of his victims off the s-bahn he had tracked to the site where her body
landed he thought it would give him a second rush but instead he felt sickened upon
saying what he had done he didn't revisit any of his crime scenes after that in a written confession
ugazov provided an insight into how his murderous urge developed but it was really an attempt to use his
political ties to sway public opinion he wrote a few years ago I had sex with a stripper and then went to a Jewish
doctor the Jew who knew I was a Nazi party member as out of hatred for the Nazis
mistreated my gonorrhea the consequence of which has affected my state of mind I would like this considered for
sentencing purposes therefore I am not responsible for my actions also please bear in mind that I'm a
party member he also tried to pin his behavior on head injuries he sustained in his youth
though he showed no evidence of brain damage in fact in their report the investigating police described ugazoff
as having a completely cold and calculating nature without any nerves or inhibitions when
it came to satisfying his sexual urges the report added that he had willingly and consciously exploited the
blackout giving him greater opportunity for his attacks and facilitated his escapes
Paul ugazov's trial commenced to just two weeks after his arrest any hope that he's standing within the
Nazi party would absolve him if his crimes were short-lived as he was found guilty for the murder of eight women and
the attempted murder of six others calling ugazov a beast in human form deservedly eliminated from the national
Community the judge sentenced ubizov to death seemingly accepting that his previous
explanations had failed when ugazoff was asked why he felt compelled to kill women he finally revealed
because I hate them there was no death row within the German criminal justice system a death sentence
was to be carried out within hours of being handed down Paul ugazoff was executed by
decapitation the following day his remains were sent to the Institute of anatomy and biology to be used for
research purposes a few weeks later a letter was sent to ugazoff's wife it was a bill from the prison
ulgazov's execution had caused the wear and tear to the guillotine blade and his
wife would have to pay to service it two days after ugazov's execution Florida's Miami heralding newspaper
printed an article that read [Music] strangely a Berlin Court sentenced a railway worker to death because he
killed eight women under the circumstances it would seem that the man would have been placed in
the army or better yet in a bomber then he could have bombed and killed women during blackouts in England
instead of being executed he would have been rewarded with medals a monument might have been erected to him
government is peculiar it would punish one man because he murdered it organizes armies and trains them to
murder on a wholesale scale Paul ugazoff is sentenced to death for killing eight women
Adolf Hitler is saluted and cheered because he has killed thousands of men women and children
[Music] [Music] [Music]

Case 218: The Blackout Killers (Part 2)

[Part 2 of 2] In Berlin, Germany at the height of World War Two, a man took advantage of the Blackout orders at night to frighten and assault women in an isolated garden colony. Soon, he progressed to attacking and killing women on the S-Bahn train by throwing them from the carriage door while the train was in motion.

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Jessica Forsayeth Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-218-the-blackout-killers-part-2

Brief Summary

The episode details the S-Bahn murderer in Nazi Berlin, focusing on Paul Ulgazoff's brutal attacks on women and his eventual capture.

Key points

A Night of Terror in Friedrich's Felder. Lena Budzinski's tragic encounter with a knife-wielding assailant marks the beginning of a series of attacks.
The First Victim to Survive. Yuli Shu Maha's harrowing experience highlights the escalating violence in the area.
The Attack on Gerda Cargill. Gerda's struggle against her attacker on a moving train reveals the dangers lurking in the dark.
Gertrude's Murder. Gertrude was found dead in her home, indicating she knew her killer.
Elizabeth's Attack. Elizabeth survived a brutal attack on the s-bahn, showcasing the killer's escalating violence.
Media Censorship. Goebbels ensured the s-bahn murderer remained out of the press to control public fear.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

He was breathing quickly and heavily, trying to catch his breath.

The assailant's tense moment over Lena.

5:07WatchJul 16, 2022

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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