Dariusz Paweł Kotwica (born 1986), known as the Euro Ripper, is an itinerant Polish criminal and

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

, responsible for at least three murders of pensioners in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. Described as the "first European serial killer" who travelled using

open border An open border is a border that enables Freedom of movement, free movement of people and often of goods between jurisdictions with no restrictions on movement and is lacking a border control. A border may be an open border due to intentional leg ...

s, he is thought to be responsible for additional murders in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The mentally-ill Kotwica is currently in a treatment centre in

Göllersdorf Göllersdorf is a town in the district of Hollabrunn in Lower Austria, Austria. Peter Schidlof (1922–1987), the Austrian-British violist and co-founder of the Amadeus Quartet, was born in Göllersdorf. Geography Göllersdorf lies in the Wei ...

Biography

Early life

Kotwica grew up in Metalchem, a housing estate on the outskirts of Opole. Although described as an average, normal guy, he was known around the area for always wearing a tracksuit when walking around the blocks. Dariusz was raised solely by his mother and never met his father. Despite his failing grades in school and

truancy Truancy is any intentional, unjustified, unauthorized, or illegal absence from compulsory education. It is a deliberate absence by a student's own free will and usually does not refer to legitimate excused absences, such as ones related to medic ...

, Kotwica was considered very intelligent, and was notably interested in

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

. Sometime around 2005, he left his native Poland and began travelling around Europe, first settling to live in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

for several years.

Crimes

Prior to his murders, Kotwica seriously injured an unknown person in the Netherlands in 2011, attempted to murder a shopkeeper in

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

in 2012 after failing to shoplift, and robbed a grocery store in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in January 2015. In April 2015, he stabbed 79-year-old Swedish pensioner Bo Georg Ehrlander to death. Ehrlander was later found where he was murdered, lying on the kitchen floor of his Saltholmen home. His car keys were also found to be missing. On 21 May, Kotwica broke into the home of 75-year-old local politician Gerhard Hintermeier and his 74-year-old wife, Erna. Both were brutally battered and stabbed, with Kotwica raping Erna before killing her. He then proceeded to write " Tantal" on her body with brown paint.

Capture, trial and sentence

Kotwica was by then internationally wanted. He was arrested on 8 June at a railway station in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

, after being caught on surveillance cameras using the dead couple's ATM card. He was quickly extradited back to Austria, where he soon confessed to committing the double murder. He also admitted having killed Ehrlander, whose car keys were found in his possession. When questioned on his motive, Kotwica confessed that he felt "joy" when torturing his innocent and randomly-selected victims. Dariusz Kotwica was soon sent to court, where he claimed that his "inner voices" were telling him to kill. Psychiatrists thoroughly examined him, concluding that he has had

paranoid schizophrenia Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, hearing voices), delusions, disorganized thinking and behavior, and flat or inappropriate affect. Symptoms develop gradually and typically begin ...

for at least 10 years. Kotwica was found guilty and convicted of murdering the Hintermeiers and Ehrlander, but as a result of his mental illness, was transferred to a treatment centre in

, where he is currently housed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kotwica, Dariusz 1986 births Living people People convicted of murder by Austria People convicted of murder by Sweden People from Opole People with schizophrenia Polish expatriates in England Polish people imprisoned abroad Polish rapists Polish serial killers

Biography

Early life

Crimes

Capture, trial and sentence

See also

References