Posted by On 6 July 2001 in Witten, Germany, Daniel and Manuela Ruda, a married couple of Satanists who saw themselves as vampires, killed a 33-year-old co-worker of his with 66 stab wounds as a “sacrifice” to the Devil. In 2002 the Bochum court sentenced them to 15 and 13 years with psychiatric committal. Manuela was released in 2006, Daniel in 2017.
Many killers kill because of their violent childhood, others out of jealousy, others for money.
Daniel and Manuela Ruda, however, have killed in the name of Satan. They considered themselves as vampires and killed their friend as a sacrifice to the devil.
The dark vampire and the princess of darkness
Daniel is a young man who is into Gothic culture and is looking for soul mate. He decides to seek her by publishing an advertisement in a gothic magazine:
Dark prince seeks princess of darkness who hates everything and everyone
To reply to the Ad is Manuela, a girl who at age 14 says she heard the “call” of Satan. At 16,s he fled to England, where she met some Satanists who got her involved into vampirism.
She also gets an implant with longer canines, two real fangs, instead of her real teeth.
The two fall in love and get married, and for he wedding day they choose the sixth day of the sixth month, in Satan’s honour. Only a month later, July 6, 2001, they decide to make a sacrifice to the Devil by killing one person.
The murder
The person chosen is Frank H., a co-worker of Daniel, a very cheerful and nice 33-year-old man, lured to the flat with the excuse of a farewell party. During the trial
They admit to have chosen him because he was a funny guy and would be a great jester at Satan’s court.
With an excuse they invite him to their home and attack him as soon as he arrives. They hit him with a hammer and a machete, stab him 66 times and drink his blood. Then they cut up his body. They carve a satanic symbol on his chest with a knife and then run away.
The police find the body the next day in the couple’s flat. It can only be identified through DNA.
In addition to the corpse they found many fake skulls, candles and a coffin, where Manuela slept.
A week after the murder the couple is stopped by the police near Jena. They had shaved their heads to avoid being recognised, and their car was decorated with occult symbols and writings.
The trial
During the trial, the two never showed regret and they never found themselves guilty. They always claimed that they were guided by the devil and that they were only a means to his will.
They also proved very disrespectful in front of the judge, so much so that Daniel defended himself saying:
We were only a mean: if someone runs over a guy in the car you cannot blame the car.
In the classroom they showed up with flashy clothes and heavy makeup.
Manuela had shaved her hair to form an inverted cross on one side of her head and made satanic gestures aimed at the photographers.
The verdict, however, surprised everyone, especially the parents of the victim. The judge said:
These people are not monsters but human beings and as such they need to be helped.
The trial takes place before the Bochum court, and the two say it was the Devil who drove them to kill. According to the expert Norbert Leygraf they both suffered from narcissistic personality disorder, so the judges found them of diminished responsibility. In January 2002 Daniel is sentenced to 15 years and Manuela to 13, and both are committed to a secure psychiatric hospital. Shortly after the trial they divorce.
Where they are today
Manuela accepts therapy at the Eickelborn psychiatric clinic and is released in 2006. Daniel refuses it: in 2004 he is moved to Bochum prison and in 2011 the court denies him early release. In 2016 he is charged with planning his ex-wife’s murder from prison, but is acquitted. He leaves prison in 2017.
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- Mordfall von Witten – Wikipedia (German)
- Breaking News – Satanic couple sent to psychiatric hospital
Both are free again.