The show joins a host of other true-crime documentaries on Netflix, but what is the true story behind it, and who was the “Nightlife Killer”?
Read on for everything you need to know about the true story behind Crime Scene Berlin: Nightlife Killer.
What is Crime Scene Berlin: Nightlife Killer about?
The three-part docuseries Crime Scene Berlin: Nightlife Killer focuses on a series of murders which struck fear and dread in Berlin in 2012.
The synopsis for the series says: “The victims, seemingly chosen at random, are drugged with an unfamiliar substance – a trail that confronts investigators with a dilemma.
“As news of the gruesome murders hits the headlines across Germany and further cases emerge that may be linked to previous murders, the pressure mounts on the investigators to solve the case.”
What is the true story behind Crime Scene Berlin: Nightlife Killer?
As detailed in the docuseries, 2012 saw a series of murders take place in Berlin, with men being drugged, robbed and murdered.
The killer was quickly dubbed the “Darkroom Murderer” or “Darkroom Killer”, despite the fact that only one of the murders took place in the dark room of a Berlin gay club.
All three men were drugged with GHB, known as liquid ecstasy, with the first man, Alexander, being found dead at his apartment, with his phone and wallet gone.
The second man was found dead at a club, Grosse Freiheit 114, in April 2012, leading to the murderer being known as the Darkroom Killer.
The police were initially unable to identify the body, but he was later determined to be 32-year-old Nicky Miller.
The third victim, Peter, was murdered in his apartment 11 days after the second killing. He had met the killer in an online chatroom, and had texted him shortly before the murder.
The killer was eventually identified as a 39-year-old with the alias Dirk P, a trainee teacher at an elementary school in Brandenburg with no criminal record.
His identity was uncovered after he attempted to buy a train ticket using a credit card from one of the victims. When it was declined, he had instead used Miroslaw’s card.
Dirk P had initially trained as a nurse, explaining his knowledge regarding the use of GHB.
Once he was caught, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2013, with judge Peter Schuster saying in his verdict that while “greed” was the primary motive, the killer had “wanted to feel total power over others and revel in it”.
In 2014, Dirk P died in prison, and is said to have taken his own life.
Crime Scene Berlin: Nightlife Killer is available to stream on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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