Guido Zingerle (3 September 1902 – 9 August 1962), known as The Monster of Tyrol (german: Ungeheuer von Tirol), was an Italian murderer and possible
serial killer
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
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* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
who killed at least two women in the 1940s and raped another three. In his murders, Zingerle had specially-equipped caves in the Tyrolean mountains, where he would abduct and then rape his victims. He killed by burying his victims under a pile of stones to let them die in days of agony, which he often observed. After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he moved to
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...
in Austria.
Murders
Zingerle's first confirmed victim was the young teacher Gertrud Kutin (sister of Helmut Kutin, Honorary Director of the
SOS Children's Villages) from
Bolzano
Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...
, whom he kidnapped in Glaning in May 1946. He raped and then buried her under heavy stones until she died several days later. Shortly after that, he raped a 15-year-old girl from
Karneid, whom he also buried with rocks, but she managed to free herself. In 1947, two women escaped as well, after being trapped and raped for several days; Zingerle was imprisoned for a year for these crimes. Three years later, he raped and murdered an English tourist in Iss, on the eastern slope of the
Patscherkofel in Austria.
Arrest and detention
In August 1950, after five weeks of prosecution by the police from both North and South Tyrol, Zingerle was placed in an alpine hut near
Vals Vals is the word for waltz in many European languages.
Vals or VALS may also refer to:
* Peruvian waltz
* Venezuelan waltz
* Vals (dance), a dance related to Argentine tango
* VALS, "Values And Lifestyles," a psychographic segmentation tool
Places ...
. After trials in Bolzano and Innsbruck, he was sentenced to multiple counts of
life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...
.
On 9 August 1962 Zingerle died from
liver cancer
Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...
in the Turi prison.
Aftermath
Guido Zingerle was known as the epitome of evil in the region for decades, with parents often using the educational formula "If you are not good, then Zingerle will get you." against rebellious children.
In 2010, the play "''Gemma Zingerle schaugn"'' was premiered in
Absam
Absam is a municipality in the Innsbruck-Land District, Tyrol (state), Tyrol (Austria) situated at an altitude of 632 m, which had an area of 51.92 km2 and 6,776 inhabitants as January 2015.
Geography
Absam is 15 km from Innsbruck, ...
, by author Gertraud Lener. It's about the last minutes of the murderer in his cell, in which he meets death and is confronted by his deeds. In 2015, the play "''Fliegende Hitzen''", written by Lorenz Gutmann and Veronika Eberl, was premiered at the Tyrolean folk plays in
Telfs. With dark humour included, Zingerle's life story is retold.
In the 40-minute feature film ''Zingerle'', directed by Eric Marcus Weglehner, Roland Silbernagl plays the role.
Literature
* Heinrich Schwazer: ''Zingerle: History of a woman murderer.'' Raetia, Bolzano 2002, .
* Artur Oberhofer: ''The great criminal cases: The murderer Zingerle - The story of the Monster of Tyrol'',
See also
*
List of serial killers by country
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zingerle, Guido
1902 births
1962 deaths
Deaths from liver cancer in Italy
Kidnappers
Italian rapists
Italian people convicted of murder
Italian people who died in prison custody
Italian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
People convicted of murder by Italy
People from Kastelbell-Tschars
Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Italy
Prisoners who died in Italian detention
Suspected serial killers