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GOSSMAN Klaus

*1941

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aka

1960

1964

Nürnberg

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Urteil: Life

German born in 1941, Klaus Gossman saw his father shot by American troops in the last days of World War II. He grew up obsessed with violence, and by age nineteen he was determined to become "death's agent." Dubbed the "Midday Murderer," Klaus planned his homicides meticulously, striking at noon, when the church bells of his native Nuremberg would cover the gunshots with their loud midday carillon. Gossman was a student of theology in 1960, when he launched his new career in homicide. Striking off from the library one afternoon, he selected a strolling couple at random, shot them both as the bells began chiming for noon, and then calmly returned to his studies. Details of the murders were recorded in a diary, which also speaks of Gossman's strong desire to be a priest. In 1962, Klaus robbed a bank in Ochenbruch -- again at midday -- gunning down the bank's director as he left. A few months later, in another bank, he shot and killed a porter picked at random. On March 29, 1963, he invaded a Nuremberg gunshop at noon, murdering the elderly proprietor and her 29-year-old son. Gossman joined the army in December 1964, deserting four months later to escape the rigid discipline. His final victim was shot when he tried to snatch a customer's bag, in a Nuremberg department store, and he was captured at the scene. The name of actress Elke Sonamer had been scratched along the barrel of his gun, and Gossman's diary detailed plans for her abduction. On conviction for the string of murders, he was jailed for life.