Four young individuals, including a child, and a youth were brutally slain by a notorious multiple murderer.
Mario S., a former electrician and plant worker in Berlin, made headlines in 1985 when he was sentenced to life imprisonment for multiple murders. After spending 41 years behind bars, the 63-year-old serial killer passed away in a hospital last December.
Born in East Berlin, Mario S. grew up with his grandmother until the age of six. His life took a dark turn after he developed a disturbing interest in the naked bodies of young boys and men, which he fulfilled through violence.
On February 7, 1984, Mario S. abused and killed a six-year-old boy in an apartment building. This was not an isolated incident, as he continued to search for, torment, and kill boys in the Oranienburg area.
Mario S.'s actions did not go unnoticed. He was arrested in the nearby forest on July 8, 1984, and a manhunt was launched to find him. The search expanded to include the National People's Army (NVA), but only conscripts were checked. It was not until June 1984 that Mario S. was caught by chance at the Schildow gravel pit.
Following his arrest, Mario S. stood trial for his crimes. However, the provided search results reveal no verifiable information about a person named Mario S. standing trial before the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification. It is known that, on November 19, 1985, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for multiple murders.
Mario S.'s case was reviewed after German reunification, and it was found to be without fault. Despite this, the presiding judge of the 1st Military Senate of the Military Court of the DDR in Berlin added a handwritten note in 1985 stating that Mario S. should never be pardoned due to his danger to society.
In May last year, Mario S. was declared unfit for imprisonment due to a serious illness, and his life sentence was suspended indefinitely. Unfortunately, he did not recover and passed away in a hospital on December 7.
Mario S. was a shy loner who enjoyed taking photos, collecting stamps, and reading crime novels. His strained relationship with his stepfather, according to the files of the Ministry for State Security (MfS), may have contributed to his twisted desires.
The Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office is the competent criminal enforcement authority regarding Mario S.'s case. His death marks the end of a dark chapter in Berlin's history, but the memories of his victims and their families will undoubtedly live on.
