Martin Peyerl

Timeline

• August 11, 1983 — Martin Peyerl was born to Rudolf and Theresa Peyerl.
• November 1, 1999 — On All Saints Day, Martin Peyerl fired from his bedroom window, killing four people and wounding seven others; he then committed suicide with a single blast from a shotgun.
• November 1, 1999 — Police stormed the house at 6pm, finding the bodies of Daniela and Martin Peyerl along with the cat.

Background

Martin Peyerl was a German student who was born to Rudolf and Theresa Peyerl on August 11, 1983, and died on November 1, 1999. Martin’s sister Daniela lived with their parents on a busy street in Bad Reichenhall, Germany.

On November 1, 1999 (the day of All Saints), Martin’s parents left the house to visit the grave of one of Peyerl’s grandparents in Piden, something they typically did on All-Saints Day. Martin did not go with them.

Martin broke into his father’s gun cabinet, which contained more than ten firearms.

Peyerl was an outsider at school and had been temporarily expelled from school a few months before November 1, 1999 because of Nazi photographs pasted in his notebook. Neighbors said that Peyerl was a normal albeit introverted boy.

A psychiatrist involved in the case spoke of a loser type. Descriptions of Martin by former classmates were strikingly similar to descriptions given by classmates of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Martin was described as a shy loner who preferred playing video games over talking to people. One classmate, Stefanie Hocheder, said: "Martin was always nice", but that he was largely ignored and rarely had anything to say. Another said Martin was "a bit of a right-wing".

Family and mental/behavioral context

Rudolf Peyerl was a twelve-year veteran of the German Army. Rudolf Peyerl owned as many as nineteen firearms and was enthusiastic about firearms.

The case regarded Peyerl having an alcoholic father at home who was frequently unemployed as possible influences. A psychiatrist spoke of a loser type, and the case involved a question of history of mental illness.

Peyerl was also an avid gun enthusiast and frequently purchased gun magazines. He told classmates that he sometimes went to the forest looking for birds "to shoot" and sometimes practiced shooting with his father in the garage.

The offence

In his absence, Peyerl positioned himself in his bedroom window and began shooting at anything that moved.

Peyerl killed Ruth and Horst Zillenbiller. He also killed a 54-year old hospital patient across the street who had stepped outside to smoke.

Eight others were ultimately wounded. Among the wounded was actor Günter Lamprecht.

Peyerl’s sister, a nanny at the hospital across the street, came home around noon. Peyerl shot her five times, killing her.

He then fatally shot the family cat.

After fatally shooting the family cat, Peyerl sat down in a bathtub and committed suicide with a single blast from a shotgun.

No clear motive had been found for Peyerl’s actions. The current characterization in the case was that no clear motive had been found for Peyerl’s actions.

Investigation and police response

Police stormed the house at 6pm on November 1, 1999, finding the bodies of Daniela and Martin Peyerl along with the cat.

An enormous swastika was painted above Peyerl’s bed. In his room there were a number of additional painted swastikas and other Nazi symbols. A number of videos and CDs with violent content were discovered.

A portrait of Adolf Hitler hung above the bed of Peyerl’s sister.

Investigation about influences

Rudolf and Theresa Peyerl were interviewed as witnesses by police shortly after the shooting. Wolfgang Giese, head of the investigation, denied the chance that drugs, alcohol, or extreme right-wing ideology were behind Peyerl’s actions, saying those things played "no role". Instead, Giese asserted, the problem was "in the personality of the offender".

Investigators concluded that Martin Peyerl, like Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, did not commit murder-suicide as a spontaneous act, but likely planned his actions well in advance. Investigators remained certain that Peyerl’s own death was as much a part of whatever plan he devised as the indiscriminate shooting of others.

Peyerl left behind no journal or videos as the Columbine killers did, however leaving his actions for the most part a mystery.

Aftermath

Numerous politicians in Germany called for changes in German firearm legislation following Peyerl's indiscriminate shooting on November 1, 1999.

Other details

• Peyerl was associated with Nazi symbols, including swastikas painted in his room and a portrait of Adolf Hitler hung above the bed of his sister.
• A weapon associated with the case was identified as a Ruger Mini-14 Government rifle.