Cannibal on Trial in Germany

KASSEL, Germany - A German man awaiting trial for murdering and eating an acquaintance has conceded cannibalism "will only lead to problems," the London Mirror said Monday. Prosecutors allege Armin Meiwes, 41, killed then ate computer analyst Bernd-Juergen Brandes, 42, after the pair set up the death-wish meeting over the Internet. Police found Brandes' mutilated and partially eaten remains. Most had been grilled on a barbecue. Meiwes, who goes on trial next week, denies the murder charge. But prosecutors say the case cannot be considered assisted suicide even though Brandes agreed to be killed. Meiwes said he is writing his memoirs from prison, adding: "I don't recommend that people follow my example. It's not a good lifestyle."

Frankenstein nearly came true!

In 1803, Italian physicist Giovanni Aldini ran electric current through the newly dead body of murderer George Forster.

The prison record states that "on the first application of the process to the face, the jaws of the deceased criminal began to quiver, and the adjoining muscles were horribly contorted, and one eye was actually opened. In the subsequent part of the process the right hand was raised and clenched, and the legs and thighs were set in motion."

One witness reportedly died of fright, but there was really no cause for alarm. If Forster had returned to life, the prison planned to re-execute him — after all, he'd been sentenced to "hang until he be dead."