Hadj Mohammed Mesfewi
Hadj Mohammed Mesfewi (died June 13, 1906), called the "Marrakesh Arch-Killer", was a Moroccan serial killer who murdered at least 36 women.
Hadj Mohammed Mesfewi | |
|---|---|
| Born | between 1850s and 1870s |
| Died | June 13, 1906 Marrakesh, Morocco |
| Cause of death | Execution |
| Other names | The Marrakesh Arch-Killer |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Victims | 36+ |
| Country | Morocco |
Date apprehended | April 1906 |
Killings
Mesfewi worked as a shoemaker 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.[1] 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.[2]
Execution
Initially Mesfewi's execution was supposed to be crucifixion on May 2, 1906. But due to protestations from foreign embassies, the decision was taken to behead him. However, public sentiment in Marrakesh was for him to suffer. Everyday he was led from his cell to the market square where he was lashed ten times with rods made from the thorny acacia.[1] It was then decided that - because of the heinous nature of his crimes and as a warning for all - Mesfewi would be walled up alive in the bazaar that stood in Marrakesh's marketplace on June 11, 1906.[2]
Two masons created a hole in the bazaar's thick walls about 2 ft (0.61 m) deep and about 6 ft (1.8 m) wide. Chains were fixed to the back wall to keep Mesfewi standing. He apparently was not told what his fate was to be because on the day of his execution, he began screaming for mercy and fighting with his gaolers when he was led to the wall.[1] After being 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 entombing him, the crowd would go silent then cheer every time they heard him scream inside.[1] For the first two days, he was heard before falling silent on the third day. Many in the crowd voiced their anger he had died too quickly.[1]
Literature
- Peter Murakami, Julia Murakami: Dictionary of serial killers: 450 case studies of a pathological killing type. Ullstein Paperback, 2000, ISBN 3-548-35935-3.
Notes
- "An Awful fate". The Times and Democrat. June 28, 1906.
- "Tempering Justice in America; Making it Cruel Abroad". The St. John. September 8, 1906. p. 13.
External links
- Zeitungsartikel (1) von 1906 (englisch)
- Zeitungsartikel (2) von 1906 (englisch)