Editing Fritz Haarmann (section)

==Aftermath==
Following Haarmann's execution, sections of his brain were removed for forensic analysis. An examination of slices of Haarmann's brain revealed traces of [[meningitis]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goettinger-tageblatt.de/Nachrichten/Goettingen/Uebersicht/Museum-oder-Bestattung-fuer-Haarmanns-Kopf|title=Rechtsmedizinische Sammlung – Museum oder Bestattung für Haarmanns Kopf? – Goettinger-Tageblatt.de|first=Göttinger Tageblatt, Eichsfelder Tageblatt, Göttingen, Eichsfeld, Niedersachsen|last=Germany|access-date=26 February 2017|archive-date=22 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122004005/http://www.goettinger-tageblatt.de/Nachrichten/Goettingen/Uebersicht/Museum-oder-Bestattung-fuer-Haarmanns-Kopf|url-status=dead}}</ref> although no sections of Haarmann's brain were permanently preserved. Nonetheless, Haarmann's head was preserved in [[formaldehyde]] and remained in the possession of the Göttingen medical school from 1925 until 2014, when it was [[cremation|cremated]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/8035ad1e2c0b450ca0a408361a2d2b30/report-butcher-hannovers-head-cremated-after-89-years |title=Report: 'Butcher of Hannover's' head cremated after 89 years |date=24 January 2015 |publisher=AP News |access-date=24 January 2015 |archive-date=27 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150127043024/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/8035ad1e2c0b450ca0a408361a2d2b30/report-butcher-hannovers-head-cremated-after-89-years |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Hannover cemetery stoecken grave Fritz Haarmann victims.jpg|right|220px|thumb|The communal grave of Haarmann's victims]]

The remains of Haarmann's victims which had been recovered were buried together in a communal grave in Stöckener Cemetery in February 1925. In April 1928, a large granite memorial in the form of a [[triptych]], inscribed with the names and ages of the victims, was erected over the communal grave.<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,654732-6,00.html Spiegel.de].</ref>

The discovery of a letter from Haarmann declaring Hans Grans' innocence subsequently led to Grans receiving a second trial. This letter was dated 5 February 1925, and was addressed to the father of Grans.<ref>Monsters of Weimar {{ISBN|1-897743-10-6}} p. 143</ref> In this letter, Haarmann claimed that although he had been frustrated at having been seen as little more than a "meal ticket" by Grans, Grans "had absolutely no idea that I killed". Furthermore, Haarmann claimed many of his accusations against Grans prior to his trial were obtained under extreme [[duress]], and that he falsely accused Grans of instigating the murders of Hannappel and Witzel as a means of revenge. Haarmann claimed that his pastor would be informed as to the contents and the authenticity of the letter.<ref>Monsters of Weimar {{ISBN|1-897743-10-6}} pp. 143–45</ref>

Hans Grans was retried in January 1926. He was charged with [[aiding and abetting]] Haarmann in the murders of victims Adolf Hannappel and Fritz Wittig. Although Grans stated in one address to the judge at this second trial that he expected to be acquitted,<ref>Monsters of Weimar {{ISBN|1-897743-10-6}} p. 152</ref> on 19 January, he was again found guilty of aiding and abetting Haarmann in both cases, although in this instance, he was sentenced to two [[Concurrence|concurrent]] 12-year sentences. After serving this 12-year sentence, Grans was extralegally interned in [[Sachsenhausen concentration camp]], where he remained until the camp's liberation in April 1945. Following the conclusion of the Second World War, he continued to live in Hanover until his death in 1975.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fritz Haarmann Was A Popular Butcher In 1920s Germany — Until They Found Out His Meat Was Human|url=https://allthatsinteresting.com/fritz-haarmann|access-date=23 October 2020|date=20 July 2020|first=Morgan|last=Dunn}}</ref>

The murders committed by Haarmann stirred much discussion in Germany regarding methods used in police investigation, the treatment of [[mentally ill]] offenders, and the validity of the death penalty.<ref name="gilbert">{{Cite news |last=Gilbert |first=Alexander |title=Fritz Haarmann: The Butcher of Hannover |url=http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/history/haarman/index_1.html |periodical=[[Crime Library]] |access-date=4 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024033738/http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/history/haarman/index_1.html |archive-date=24 October 2007 }}.</ref> However, the most heated topic of discussion in relation to the murders committed by Haarmann were issues relating to the subject of homosexuality, which was then illegal and punishable by imprisonment in Germany. The discovery of the murders subsequently stirred a wave of [[homophobia]] throughout Germany, with one historian noting: "It split the [gay rights] movement irreparably, fed every prejudice against homosexuality, and provided new fodder for conservative adversaries of legal sex reform."<ref>The Pink Triangle {{ISBN|978-0-805-00600-1}} p. 45</ref>
[[File:M poster.jpg|150px|right|thumb|Poster of Fritz Lang's 1931 film ''[[M (1931 film)|M]]'']]