Heinrich Max Pommerenke was born on July 6, 1937, in Bentwisch, Mecklenburg, Germany. His father worked at the Rostock Port. However, his father's life ended during World War II. After the war ended, in 1949, his mother decided to leave her two children and moved to Switzerland. This left Heinrich and his sister to live with their grandparents in Mecklenburg.

While living with his grandparents, Heinrich faced challenges. He was still a student when he committed his first known crime, a rape. He worked hard and completed a painting apprenticeship. However, after committing another crime, he fled from East Germany to West Berlin in 1953. Authorities soon located him and contacted his mother.

Heinrich was then sent to live with his mother in Zürich, Switzerland. His sister had already moved there a year earlier after spending three years in a children's home. In Switzerland, he found work at a fair in Schaffhausen. Unfortunately, he was accused of rape again, which led to him being expelled from Switzerland. He was banned from entering the country for ten years.

After his expulsion, Heinrich moved to southern Germany and the city of Bregenz in Austria. During this time, he continued to commit various offenses, including robberies and other moral crimes.

Heinrich Pommerenke's series of crimes began on the evening of February 26, 1959, when he murdered Hilde Konter near a cinema in Karlsruhe. This marked the start of his violent spree. Over the next few months, he committed multiple attacks and murders, causing fear in the Black Forest region.

In March 1959, he killed 18-year-old Karin Wälde, whose body was later found along the Gutach river. Toward the end of May 1959, Pommerenke tried to strangle another young woman but she managed to escape. Shortly after, on May 31, he murdered Dagmar Klimek on a train traveling to Italy. He discarded her body from the train, and it was found days later.

As June progressed, Pommerenke continued his violent acts. On June 2, he attacked a waitress and stole from her. Just days later, he seriously injured two women by stabbing them in the neck while cycling in Karlsruhe. He also broke into a young girl’s room, severely injuring her before fleeing. On June 9, he murdered 16-year-old Rita Walterspacher, leaving her body in a wooded area.

On June 10, he stole firearms from a shop and later used one in a robbery. His actions began to connect when a footprint was found at the scene of a robbery, linking him to the earlier crimes. He was eventually arrested on June 19, 1959, after a tip-off from a local resident.

During the following interrogations, Pommerenke confessed to numerous offenses, including four murders, several attempted murders, and numerous other violent crimes. His trial began in October 1960, and he received a life sentence, which was one of the harshest penalties imposed in post-war Germany. He spent the rest of his life in prison, where he remained until his death on December 27, 2008, due to leukemia.