On March 6, 1981, Marianne Bachmeier walked into a courtroom in Lübeck, Germany, her steps steady and resolute.
Without warning, she reached into her handbag, pulled out a loaded pistol, and fired at Klaus Grabowski, a 35-year-old convicted sex offender.
Grabowski stood accused of kidnapping, abusing, and murdering Marianne’s 7-year-old daughter, Anna. Within seconds, seven bullets struck him. He collapsed on the courtroom floor, dead. Marianne was immediately arrested, showing no sign of regret. Even decades later, the woman known as “Revenge Mom” still sparks fierce debate across Germany.
Losing a child is one of the deepest pains a parent can suffer. On May 5, 1980, Marianne’s world shattered. Then a single mother running a pub in northern Germany, her life changed forever.
Marianne’s own early years had been filled with hardship. Her father was a member of the Waffen-SS, and her youth was marred by repeated assaults. At 16, she became pregnant and gave the baby up for adoption. The same happened at 18.
In 1973, she had her third child, Anna, whom she raised alone. Anna was described as cheerful and curious. But one fateful May day in 1980, after a disagreement with her mother, Anna skipped school and headed to a friend’s house. She never made it there.
On her way, Anna was abducted by Klaus Grabowski, a local butcher with a disturbing history. He had served time for molesting young girls and had even undergone voluntary chemical castration in 1976. Later, he began hormone therapy to reverse the effects.
Grabowski held Anna captive in his home for hours. He then strangled her and placed her body in a cardboard box, which he left by a canal. That same evening, his fiancée turned him in. Grabowski was arrested.
During the trial, Grabowski admitted to the killing but denied sexu@ assault. He went so far as to claim Anna had tried to blackmail him. He said she threatened to tell her mother he had touched her unless he gave her money.
The court rejected his claims, but for Marianne, it was too much. Her grief turned into rage and helplessness. On the third day of the trial, she acted.
She somehow smuggled a Beretta M1934 pistol past security. Moments after entering the courtroom, she fired eight shots—seven struck Grabowski. He died instantly.
Marianne calmly placed the gun on the floor. “He murdered my daughter,” she said. “I wanted to shoot him in the face but ended up hitting him in the back. I hope he’s dead.”
Two officers testified she also called him a “pig.”
Marianne was charged with murd3r. In her defense, she claimed to have acted in a daze, overwhelmed by emotions and memories of her daughter.
However, experts testified she must have practiced using the weapon. She left a handwriting sample reading, “I did it for you, Anna,” adorned with seven hearts—one for each year of Anna’s life.
Conviction meant life imprisonment. The trial gained global media attention. While many hailed her as a mother seeking justice, others condemned the act of vigilantism.
Initially, the press portrayed Marianne as a heartbroken hero. But that image was soon complicated. Reports surfaced about her past—her time spent in bars, her earlier adoptions. Public opinion split.
In 1983, Marianne was found guilty of premeditated manslaughter and illegal firearm possession. She was sentenced to six years but released after three.
Public opinion remained divided. An Allensbach Institute poll revealed that 28% thought the sentence was fair, 27% said it was too harsh, and 25% believed it too lenient.
After prison, she moved to Nigeria and married a German teacher. They divorced in 1990, and she later relocated to Sicily. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and returned to Lübeck.
Though she wanted to die in Italy, she passed away in Lübeck on September 17, 1996. She was buried beside her daughter.
Marianne later gave interviews expressing no regret, explaining she wanted to stop Grabowski from tarnishing Anna’s memory any further.
To this day, her story remains controversial. Many admire her strength and see justice in her actions. Others argue she undermined the rule of law.
But one thing is certain: Marianne Bachmeier’s name lives on, etched into the public consciousness—as a mother who chose vengeance in the face of unbearable loss.