The trial of a 66-year-old electrician for murder began in Bavaria in Thursday. Horst B. is accused of killing another man while trying to castrate him as part of a sado-masochistic sexual ritual.

According to prosecutors, the defendant presented himself in online forums as an emergency medical technician. He began offering BDSM services for hire because he was badly in need of money following the death of his wife.

Horst B. last lived in Markt Schwaben and admitted to the castration offenses as the trial got underway on Thursday.

Operation that went wrong

Investigators believed that the 66-year-old cut off the testicles of eight men with a scalpel, beginning in July 2018 and ending in March 2020, when his last victim died after the "operation" went awry. Allegedly, Horst B. did not stop at the testicles of his final victim, but partially severed his penis as well.

After the man died, prosecutors say the suspect put his body in a cardboard box, which was found three weeks later when police conducted a search of his apartment.

A verdict in the case is expected in November.

es, jsi/rt (dpa, AFP, AP)