Hadj Mohammed Mesfewi (died June 13, 1906), called the "

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...

Arch-Killer", was a Moroccan

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * 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 murdered at least 36 women.

Killings

Mesfewi worked as a

shoemaker Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as '' cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen ...

and trader in Marrakesh. Assisted by a 70-year-old woman named Annah, Mesfewi would kill young women who came to his shop to dictate letters. He would use drugs to incapacitate his victims before decapitating them with a dagger. Moroccan authorities found the remains of 20 mutilated bodies in a deep pit under his shop, another 16 were discovered in the garden outside. He was caught after the parents of one young victim traced her movements back to his shop. Annah died under torture and Mesfewi confessed that he killed them for their money; often the sums were very small.

Execution

After being convicted, Mesfewi was initially sentenced to be crucified on May 2, 1906. Due to international outcry, the sentence was changed to beheading. However, public sentiment in

was for him to suffer so every day he was led from his cell, into the market square, and lashed ten times with a rod made from

thorny acacia ''Vachellia nilotica'', more commonly known as ''Acacia nilotica'', and by the vernacular names of gum arabic tree, babul, thorn mimosa, Egyptian acacia or thorny acacia, is a flowering tree in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Africa, the Mid ...

on a daily basis for four weeks. It was finally decided because of the heinous nature of his crimes and as a warning for all, Mesfewi would be walled up alive in the Marrakesh marketplace

bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, suc ...

on June 11, 1906. The cell was made by two masons who created a hole in the bazaar's thick walls about deep and wide and about high. Chains were fixed to the back wall to ensure Mesfewi did not attempt to escape and to keep him standing. On the day his sentence was carried out, Mesfewi screamed for mercy and fought with his jailers when he was led to the cell. After he had been chained up, bystanders threw filth and offal at him. The masons then came forward and began laying courses of masonry to brick up the opening. After his entombment, the crowd would be silent, but then cheer every time they heard him scream inside. Mesfewi could be heard for two days before falling silent on the third day. Following his death, many in the crowd voiced their anger that he had died too quickly.

Literature

* Peter Murakami, Julia Murakami: Dictionary of serial killers: 450 case studies of a pathological killing type. Ullstein Paperback, 2000, .

Notes

{{reflist 1800s births 1906 deaths 1906 murders in Africa Executed Moroccan serial killers Male serial killers Murder in Morocco 1900s murders in Morocco People executed by Morocco Violence against women in Morocco

Killings

Execution

Literature

See also

Notes