A Mother’s Breaking Point
On March 6, 1981, the Lübeck District Court in West Germany was packed with reporters, legal staff, and spectators. It was the third day of the trial of Klaus Grabowski, a 35-year-old convicted sex offender charged with the murder of seven-year-old Anna Bachmeier.
As proceedings began, Anna’s mother, Marianne Bachmeier, smuggled a small Beretta pistol into the courtroom, aimed it at Grabowski’s back, and fired seven times. Six bullets struck him. He died instantly.
A Troubled Past and a Tragic Crime
Marianne Bachmeier was born on June 3, 1950, in Sarstedt, West Germany. Her childhood was marked by hardship, a strict father with a drinking problem, and a turbulent home life.
As a young woman, she had two children placed for adoption before raising Anna, her third child, alone. On May 5, 1980, Anna argued with her mother, skipped school, and went to Grabowski’s house, where he sexually assaulted and strangled her. His fiancée later reported him to the police.
The Courtroom Shooting That Stunned a Nation
Grabowski had a history of sexual offenses and had previously undergone voluntary castration, later reversed by hormone treatment. On the morning of the shooting, Marianne entered courtroom 157 with the gun hidden in her handbag.
Without warning, she stood up, aimed, and fired. Police arrested her on the spot. The shooting quickly became one of the most publicized cases in West Germany, sparking debates about justice and vigilantism.
Trial, Prison, and Final Years
Marianne was initially charged with murder, but after a month-long trial, she was convicted of manslaughter and unlawful possession of a firearm. She was sentenced to six years but released on probation after three. She married a teacher, moved to Nigeria, then Sicily, and later returned to Germany after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
In public interviews, she spoke openly about her actions and never expressed regret for killing Grabowski. On September 17, 1996, Marianne died at age 46. She was buried beside Anna in Lübeck’s Burgtor Cemetery.
On March 6, 1981, in a packed Lübeck courtroom, Marianne Bachmeier pulled a gun from her handbag and shot Klaus Grabowski, the man accused of murdering her daughter Anna.
In seconds, six bullets ended his life, turning a grieving mother into the center of a media storm…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/WtsIAILbIg
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