Supporting Program: "True Crime Live Sessions"

During his time as a specialist in psychiatry, psychotherapy, and psychosomatic medicine, Dr. Thorsten Sueße prepared expert opinions on the criminal responsibility of violent offenders and became familiar with every facet of homicides, including their psychological backgrounds. His accounts of authentic cases are enough to fill an entire evening. Don't miss this vivid expert lecture.

What is the difference between pathology and forensic medicine? Films constantly confuse the two. How can you tell a stab wound inflicted while the victim was alive from one inflicted after death? How do fracture patterns on the skull differ between fall and blunt-force injuries? The audience will see all this and much more in the lecture. Alfred Riepertinger delivers a PowerPoint presentation with many original images (not for the faint-hearted). As senior prosector at the Institute of Pathology in Munich, he prepared countless deceased people—especially those who died unnaturally—for farewell ceremonies, including several victims of homicides, e.g. Rudolph Moshammer. Because many scenes for TV crime series such as "Tatort", "Der Alte", "Die Chefin", Aktenzeichen XY – ungelöst, and the Eberhofer films based on Rita Falk's novels were filmed in the institute's large autopsy hall, Riepertinger is well placed to explain the differences between fiction and reality and to talk about major deviations between film and real life.

How old do unsolved cases actually have to be before they become "cold cases"? Who works on cases that date back years or even decades and remained unsolved for so long? Is there even a new development—a new, optimized approach? Carsten Schütte debunks the myths surrounding these cold cases and describes the enormous workload that dedicated colleagues often take on successfully in order to send offenders a clear message: "We'll get you someday!"

A man who murdered four women remained undetected for years. How did he select his victims? What were his motives, and how was he ultimately identified? Honka dismembered his victims, leaving body parts in his apartment and also disposing of them elsewhere. What are the challenges of such offender behavior, and what would the chances be today of identifying such offenders more quickly? Sarah Stockhausen and Carsten Schütte examine these crimes not only from forensic and crime-analysis perspectives, but also explain how professionals collaborate in cases like these.

Thomas Kundt opens the door to the true horror stories next door. As probably Germany's best-known crime scene cleaner and disinfection specialist, he has seen it all: blood, maggots, and human remains everywhere—the tragedies of the dead always get under your skin. There are countless causes of death, and criminal cases are naturally part of the bloody everyday work of a crime scene cleaner. Nowhere else are the depths of crime as tangible as at the scene itself. Thomas Kundt has witnessed the flip side of reality at numerous tragic events. On his tour, he shares an unfiltered look at unimaginable death scenes and the disturbing stories with chilling details behind them.