Bogdan Arnold
Bogdan Eugeniusz Arnold (17 February 1933 – 16 December 1968) was a Polish serial killer who murdered 4 women in Katowice from October 1966 to May 1967, hiding their bodies in his apartment. In his testimony, he also admitted to one more attempted murder and to torturing his victims.
Bogdan Arnold | |
|---|---|
 Arnold reenacting one of his murders | |
| Born | Bogdan Eugeniusz Arnold 17 February 1933 |
| Died | 16 December 1968 (aged 35) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Motive | Misogyny Sexual sadism |
| Conviction(s) | Murder (4 counts) |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Victims | 4 |
Span of crimes | 1966–1967 |
| Country | Poland |
| State(s) | Silesia |
Date apprehended | 8 June 1967 |
Biography
Bogdan Arnold was born on 17 February 1933, in Kalisz. He graduated from a vocational school, as an electrician.[1] He was married three times, but each time he got divorced, as his wives accused him of aggression and domestic violence. The consequence of the divorce was formed by his alcoholism and misogyny. Arnold lived in Katowice at 14 Dąbrowski Street where he occupied several rooms in an apartment on the fourth floor. He worked in the Silesian zinc-processing plant.[2]
Murders
Arnold committed the first murder on 12 October 1966, when he met 30-year-old Maria B. at the "Kujawiak" bar. They talked, after which Arnold bought her a few beers and offered to go to his house, to which the woman agreed. According to Arnold, he initially he did not plan to kill his first victim, but when she offered him sex for 500 zlotys, he was enraged since he considered himself attractive enough to get it for free. In a fit of anger, Arnold killed Maria with a hammer, and placed the body in the bathroom, having previously covered it with chlorine in order to slow down the process of decomposition.
The next murders occurred in a similar pattern: on 12 March 1967, Arnold lured a 40-year-old prostitute into his apartment, whose identity was never established, after which he strangled her, dismembered the body and hid the remains in his apartment. The next victim was 35-year-old Stefania M., with whom he met in a bar on 21 April 1967. Later, the woman was strangled, dismembered, and the remains were hidden next to the remains of the previous victim.
The last murder committed was on 22 May 1967, stabbing 30-year-old prostitute Helga G. in his apartment. The remains were hidden under his bed.[3]
Arrest
At the end of May 1967, Arnold's neighbours noticed a swarm of flies on the landing and an unpleasant smell coming from Arnold's apartment. Arnold himself did not visit his apartment for several days due to the impossibility of living with four corpses, worrying his neighbours further.
On 1 June 1967, the police were summoned, they opened the front door to Arnold's apartment and found four bodies in varying degrees of decay, as well as a host of cadaverous worms and flies all over the killer's apartment, and a persistent smell of decay. Arnold himself disappeared from the crime scene and was hiding for a week from law enforcement agencies who were searching for him. Finally, on 8 June 1967, a police officer, who was on personal business in the area of Granicnaya Street near the Silesian zinc refinery, drew attention to the slovenly appearance and dirt on the clothes of one of the passers-by.
Approaching him, the police officer demanded documents, but the man did not have them with him. In addition, he could not clearly explain the reason for being in a public place in an untidy state. The policeman, accepting Arnold as a normal drunkard, was about to release him, but at the last moment, he changed his mind and decided to take him to the police station, where fingerprints revealed the passers-by's true identity as Bogdan Arnold. It turned out that he had been hiding all week in an abandoned warehouse near his place of work.[4]
Trial and execution
Arnold immediately confessed to his crimes and began to give evidence. In addition to four murders, he also confessed to an unsuccessful attempt to poison his third wife. He did not repent and strongly regretted that he could not poison his wife, accusing her divorce with him and the misogyny that he had developed as the driving force.
On 9 March 1968, Bogdan Arnold was sentenced to death by hanging.
On 16 December 1968, the verdict was carried out.[5][6]
Arnold was buried in an unmarked grave at number 38 in a special cemetery for executed Polish criminals. The grave was next to the grave of another Polish serial killer, Zdzisław Marchwicki, who had the 39th number. The grave of Bogdan Arnold does not exist anymore.[7]
See also
References
- "The beast from Katowice. Horror in the attic" (in Polish). Wiadomosci.onet.pl. 30 December 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- "Bogdan Arnold, czyli wampir z Katowic. Kim był? Dlaczego zabijał?". 22 August 2012.
- "Kryminalistyka i medycyna sądowa". Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- "Bogdan Arnold – bestia z Katowic".
- Source: Henryk CZMOCH "Zbrodnie Bogdan Arnold" in "Forensics Problems" 78/1969
- "Polish serial killers" - Stukan Jarosław
- Vampire from Zagłębie, Przemysław Semczuk, Znak 2016