Peter Kürten was known as the German serial killer, the "Vampire of Dusseldorf", a murderer who killed at least nine people before surrendering to the police in 1931. Kürten was born in Cologne , in Germany, on May 26, 1883 to a childhood of poverty and bad behavior. As the eldest of thirteen children, he witnessed accounts of brutal acts and sadistic tendencies from an alcoholic father. For most of Kürten's childhood, his father projected his bad behavior onto both his mother and his siblings in the studio apartment they shared. The submission to his father's sexual violence had an influence on Kürten who, at the age of nine, began an unhealthy relationship with a dog catcher who lived in the same building. The man introduced him to the practice of bestiality with dogs. As Kürten sexually matured, his bestiality expanded to sheep, goats, and other farmyard animals. He even discovered a pleasure when the animal was stabbed during intercourse. At the age of 16, Kürten turned to petty crime and ran away from home due to the violence he suffered. Not long after his father was arrested and jailed for sexual relations with Kürten's thirteen-year-old sister. Kürten's petty crimes soon led to short prison sentences, multiple crimes occurring over several years. While incarcerated, the conditions of his environment confirmed Kürten's sadistic behavior as he transitioned from animal to human victims. The more Kürten was sentenced to prison, the more his anger against German society and its capacity for criminality grew. He soon discovered the allure of brutal sexual acts while in solitary confinement; the attraction grew so much that he would break prison rules to ensure that... middle of paper... meant ten years or more of separation for us - probably forever. At that point my wife was inconsolable. He spoke of unemployment, lack of means and hunger in old age. He was delusional that I would take my own life, then he would do the same, as his future was completely hopeless. Then, in the late afternoon, I told my wife that I could help her." Kürten then revealed to his wife that he was the "Vampire" and revealed each murder to her. He then allowed her to hand herself over to the police to ensure that she would receive a large reward to provide her with money to help her in her old age On May 24, 1930 Frau Kürten told the police who her husband was that she would meet him later in the area was surrounded and four officers rushed forward with loaded revolvers as soon as he appeared. Peter Kürten. The man smiled and did not resist.