On March 6, 1981, Marianne Bachmeier walked into a courtroom in Lübeck, Germany, and fatally shot Klaus Grabowski—the man accused of kidnapping, abusing, and murdering her 7-year-old daughter, Anna. She fired seven shots in what many saw as an act of vigilante justice.
Grabowski, a convicted pedophile with a disturbing past, had lured and killed Anna after she went missing in May 1980. During his trial, he made disturbing claims that further deepened Marianne’s grief. On the third day of proceedings, unable to endure more, Marianne acted.
Arrested immediately, she was later convicted of premeditated manslaughter and illegal gun possession. Sentenced to six years, she served three. Public opinion was deeply divided—some saw her as a tragic hero, others as a criminal.
Marianne later left Germany, but her life remained marked by the tragedy. She died in 1996 from cancer and was buried beside her daughter.
Her story remains one of the most compelling cases of personal grief crossing into public justice—raising enduring questions about morality, trauma, and the limits of the legal system.
