Peter Niers

Peter Niers (or Niersch) (c. 1540 - September 1581) was a German serial killer and bandit who was executed on 16 September 1581 in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, some 40 km distant from Nuremberg. Based on confessions extracted from him and his accomplices under torture, he was convicted of 544 murders, including 24 fetuses cut out of pregnant women—allegedly, the fetal remains were to be used in magical rituals (he was believed to be an extremely powerful black magician, with many supernatural abilities) and for acts of cannibalism. He was tortured by breaking wheel in September 1581 at around the age of 41.

Peter Niers
Born	c. 1540 Holy Roman Empire
Died	September 1581 (aged c. 41) Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Germany