Cannibal gets off easy
The week's news at a glance.
Berlin
Self-confessed cannibal Armin Meiwes was cleared of murder last week and sentenced instead to eight years for manslaughter. Meiwes killed Bernd Brandes—a man he met on the Internet after advertising for a willing victim—sautéed him in a bit of garlic, and washed him down with red wine. Judge Volker Mütze said the more serious murder charge was not appropriate because Brandes wanted to die and be eaten. The two men were “psychologically sick people who found each other,” the judge said. With good behavior, Meiwes could be free by 2008. He is already considering numerous offers for the film rights to his story.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Zohran Mamdani: the young progressive likely to be New York City's next mayor
In The Spotlight The policies and experience that led to his meteoric rise
-
The best film reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Creativity and imagination are often required to breathe fresh life into old material
-
'More must be done'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day