Retifers threatened to poison: Shock case on Lake Constance remains unforgettable

Retifers threatened to poison: Shock case on Lake Constance remains unforgettable

A shocking case of attempted particularly severe predatory extortion on Lake Constance has kept the public in suspense in recent years. On June 12, 2020, a 56-year-old man was convicted after spreading and terror in 2017 with extortion emails to the police and various trading groups. The perpetrator demanded 11.75 million euros and threatened to poison food. According to Schwäbische.de found the authorities in a rewe branch in Friedrichshafen Food, including glasses with vegetable spaghetti that contained fatal doses of ethylene glycol for toddlers.

The police contacted the perpetrator to organize the handover of the required money. These efforts resulted in a public search in which surveillance videos were published. The call to vigilance led to around 1,500 calls and 400 emails to the police, which ultimately led to the arrest of the suspect near Tübingen. A bottle of ethylene glycol was discovered in his apartment.

judicial judgments and claims of the perpetrator

The suspect, who was already a criminal record for attempted child, stated during his process negotiations to suffer from a borderline disorder. In October 2018, the first trial before the Ravensburg District Court began, in which attempted murder and predatory extortion was accused. Although the court imposed 12 years in prison in a first judgment, the Federal Court of Justice lifted this judgment because no intention to kill could be proven. The second trial ended with a conviction of 10 years and 6 months in prison, and the perpetrator is currently in prison, where he has already served about half of his punishment.

The criminal treatment of such cases is in the context of a general discussion about crime in Germany. According to Statista , the police crime statistics (PKS) of the Federal Criminal Police Office shows a decline in crime by 1.7 % in 2024, but the feeling of security of certain crimes is still alarming. In particular, offenses that affect personal freedom and the feeling of security have increased.

Review of the development of crime

The PKS shows that crimes against life, such as murder and homicide, only make up about 0.1 % of the registered cases. At the same time, the number of registered sex criminals rose to around 42,800, which may be due to a higher display. While the number of cases in North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are highest, the crime development overall remains difficult to evaluate, since it depends heavily on various factors such as police controls and the notification behavior of the citizens.