Meiwes was arrested in December 2002, after a man in Innsbruck
phoned the police after seeing new advertisements for victims and
details about the killing on the Internet. Investigators searched
his home and found body parts and the videotaped killing.
Meiwes was later convicted of manslaughter and sentenced for life
in prison. The case attracted considerable media attention and led
to a debate over whether Meiwes could be convicted at all, given
that Brandes had voluntarily and knowingly participated in the act;
there were also complications as cannibalism itself was not illegal
in Germany at the time.[2]
Meiwes has admitted what he has done, and expressed regret for his
actions. He added he wanted to write a book of his life story with
the aim of deterring anyone who wants to follow his steps.
Surprisingly, a number of websites dedicated to Meiwes have
appeared, with people advertising for willing victims. "They should
go for treatment, so it doesn't escalate like it did with me," said
Meiwes. He believes there are about 800 "cannibals" in
Germany
In April 2005, a German court ordered a retrial after prosecutors
appealed his sentence. They believed he should have been convicted
of murder, not manslaughter, and given a life sentence. Among the
questions courts answered is whether Brandes agreed to his killing,
and whether he was legally capable of doing so at the moment of
killing, taking into account his apparent mental problems as well
as his significant intake of alcohol and other drugs.
Other aspects of the retrial determined whether Meiwes killed to
satiate his own desires (in particular sexual desires), and not
because he was asked to, which Meiwes has repeatedly rejected
during testimony. At his retrial a psychologist stated that Meiwes
could reoffend and still "had fantasies about devouring the flesh
of young people." On 9 May 2006, a court in Frankfurt convicted
Meiwes of murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
