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Murder of Jakob von Metzler

SOLVED2002Frankfurt am Main, Germany3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On 27 September 2002, 11-year-old Jakob von Metzler was kidnapped in Frankfurt, Germany, by Magnus Gäfgen, a law student who came from a modest family background and had begun studying law at Goethe University in 1996. Gäfgen abducted Jakob intending to extort a ransom from his parents, who were members of the Metzler banking family, and killed the boy in his own apartment. He then demanded a ransom of one million euros from the Metzlers.

Police observed Gäfgen when he collected the ransom money and arrested him several hours later; in the interim, he had booked a holiday rather than release his victim, who was already dead. During his interrogation, Frankfurt police vice president Wolfgang Daschner ordered a subordinate officer, identified in case records as Ortwin E., to threaten Gäfgen with torture, an order given in an attempt to save the boy's life. After the threat, Gäfgen confessed and disclosed where he had hidden the body.

In July 2003, a court convicted Gäfgen of murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment, finding a "grave level of guilt" (besondere Schwere der Schuld) that made him ineligible for the standard possibility of release after fifteen years. His appeal to the Federal Court of Justice was rejected in May 2004, and a further complaint to the Federal Constitutional Court was rejected in December 2004.

The torture threat used against Gäfgen became a significant legal matter in its own right. In December 2004, Daschner received a suspended sentence and a €10,800 fine for ordering it; Ortwin E., the officer who delivered the threat, was fined €3,600. In 2005, Gäfgen brought a case against Germany before the European Court of Human Rights (Gäfgen v. Germany, no. 22978/05). In 2010, the court ruled that Germany had violated Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, but had not violated Article 6, the right to a fair trial. Gäfgen separately sued the state of Hesse for compensation over trauma he said he suffered from the threat and lost that case, but in August 2011 he was awarded €3,000 in damages related to the police threats, less than the €10,000 he had sought.

Gäfgen is serving his sentence at Schwalmstadt Prison in Hesse. While incarcerated, he passed the first state law examination and, in 2005, published an autobiography, Allein mit Gott – Der Weg zurück (Alone with God – The Way Back). A plan to establish a "Gäfgen Foundation" to assist child crime victims drew public criticism, and he abandoned it after authorities said they would not permit it to be registered. In January 2015, it became known that Gäfgen had legally changed his name to Thomas David Lukas Olsen. He applied for release on probation in 2017; in 2018, authorities determined he remained dangerous and rejected the application, setting his minimum sentence at 23 years, meaning he would not be eligible for release before September 2025.

Key facts

Victims
Jakob von Metzler
Date
2002
Location
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1996

    Magnus Gäfgen began studying law at Goethe University in Frankfurt.

  2. 2002-09-27

    Gäfgen kidnapped 11-year-old Jakob von Metzler in Frankfurt to extort ransom from his family, then killed him in his apartment.

  3. 2003-07

    A court convicted Gäfgen of murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment, finding a "grave level of guilt" that barred early release after fifteen years.

  4. 2004-05

    Gäfgen's appeal to the Federal Court of Justice was rejected.

  5. 2004-12

    Gäfgen's complaint to the Federal Constitutional Court was rejected.

  6. 2004-12

    Frankfurt police vice president Wolfgang Daschner received a suspended sentence and a €10,800 fine for ordering a subordinate officer to threaten Gäfgen with torture during interrogation; the officer who delivered the threat, Ortwin E., was fined €3,600.

  7. 2005

    Gäfgen filed a complaint against Germany with the European Court of Human Rights (Gäfgen v. Germany, no. 22978/05).

  8. 2005

    Gäfgen published an autobiography, Allein mit Gott – Der Weg zurück, while in prison.

  9. 2010

    The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Germany had violated Article 3 (prohibition of torture) but not Article 6 (right to a fair trial) in Gäfgen's case.

  10. 2011-08

    Gäfgen was awarded €3,000 in damages over the police torture threat, less than the €10,000 he had sought.

  11. 2015-01

    It became known that Gäfgen had legally changed his name to Thomas David Lukas Olsen.

  12. 2018

    German authorities rejected Gäfgen's application for release on probation, finding him still dangerous and setting his minimum prison term at 23 years.

Best coverage

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People

  • Ortwin E.

    CONVICTED

    Frankfurt police officer who delivered the torture threat against Gäfgen on Daschner's orders during the 2002 interrogation; convicted of coercion and fined €3,600 in December 2004.

  • Magnus Gäfgen

    CONVICTED

    Law student who kidnapped and killed Jakob von Metzler; convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in July 2003.

  • Wolfgang Daschner

    CONVICTED

    Frankfurt police vice president who ordered a subordinate officer to threaten Magnus Gäfgen with torture during his 2002 interrogation; convicted of coercion and given a suspended sentence with a €10,800 fine in December 2004.

  • Jakob von Metzler

    VICTIM

    11-year-old kidnapping and murder victim, killed by Magnus Gäfgen in Frankfurt in September 2002.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Frankfurt am Main, Germany

50.1109, 8.6821

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
In September 2002, 11-year-old Jakob von Metzler was kidnapped and killed in Frankfurt, Germany, by law student Magnus Gäfgen, who was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2003. The case became internationally known after Frankfurt police threatened Gäfgen with torture during his interrogation, a practice the European Court of Human Rights later ruled had violated his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Where did the murder happen?
Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Who was convicted?
Ortwin E. (Frankfurt police officer who delivered the torture threat against Gäfgen on Daschner's orders during the 2002 interrogation; convicted of coercion and fined €3,600 in December 2004.), Magnus Gäfgen (Law student who kidnapped and killed Jakob von Metzler; convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in July 2003.), and Wolfgang Daschner (Frankfurt police vice president who ordered a subordinate officer to threaten Magnus Gäfgen with torture during his 2002 interrogation; convicted of coercion and given a suspended sentence with a €10,800 fine in December 2004.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Germany

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Jakob von MetzlerWikipedia · 2026-07-12
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The New York TimesThe New York Times · 2026-07-12
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — cmiskp.echr.coe.intcmiskp.echr.coe.int · 2026-07-12

Record history

First published
JUL 13, 2026