7. The Black Magic Practitioner Who Killed Hundreds
German bandit and black arts practitioner Peter Niers (died in 1581) was one of history’s most prolific serial killers. Niers began his criminal career as a highwayman in Alsace, present day France, and eventually came to head a gang that numbered about 24 bandits. He also became a leading figure in a loose network of bandit and highwayman gangs, that joined forces on occasion to conduct major operations requiring large numbers of men. His criminal activities spanned a large territory that included western France, the Rhineland, and Bavaria in southern Germany.
What set Niers apart from other bandits was his bloodthirstiness and gratuitous cruelty. He was not content to simply rob or kill his victims: Niers also relished torturing those who fell into his hands, and murdering them in a variety of monstrously creative ways. He was captured in 1577, and under torture, confessed to 75 murders during the previous 11 years. However, before he could be executed, he managed to escape. After breaking free, Niers returned to his criminal activities, resuming them with even greater cruelty and bloodthirstiness.
