Cannibal is convicted of manslaughter

BERLIN -- In a crime that tested Germany's legal system and horrified the public, a computer technician was found guilty of manslaughter Friday and sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison for killing and eating a man he met in an Internet chat room.

The verdict against Armin Meiwes underscored the legal complexity that unfolded during the two-month trial in Kassel. The victim, Bernd Brandes, consented to be killed and cannibalized in March 2001. The court rejected the prosecution's argument that the 42-year-old defendant murdered Brandes for "sexual gratification."

Judge Volker Muetze said Meiwes' twisted fantasy was "viewed with repulsion in our civilized society." But he added that "seen legally, this is manslaughter."

The ruling discarded the defendant's contention that he was culpable only of "killing on request," which carries a sentence of fewer than five years in prison.

The trial of Meiwes--a meticulously dressed computer repairman with thinning hair and a ready smile for television cameras--offered a lurid glimpse into the dangers of cyberspace.

It took the public into the mind of a man who built a death chamber in his half-timbered farmhouse and dined on parts of Brandes while sipping South African red wine.

A videotape showing Meiwes stabbing his 43-year-old victim was shown to the court. The footage reveals that Brandes, a Berlin engineer with a history of depression, numbed himself with sleeping pills and schnapps and willingly chose to die and be eaten. Prosecutors characterized the defendant as a "human butcher" and sought a life sentence for murder.

The pair met in the anonymity of cyberspace. Meiwes, who confessed to the killing and was found legally sane to stand trial, posted an ad seeking a young man wanting "to be eaten." He received more than 200 replies, including one from Brandes. Days later, the two men met at Meiwes' home and each ate a piece of Brandes' flesh before Meiwes stabbed his victim in the neck and beheaded him.

Meiwes carved Brandes into pieces and put them in a freezer. He ate 44 pounds of flesh and organs over several months, sometimes sauteing them oil and garlic.

The crime alarmed the small town of Kassel as many discovered Germany has no law against cannibalism.

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