Bio

Marie Margarethe Beier was born on September 15, 1885. She was often called Grete. Her family lived in Brand, a small town in Saxony near Dresden.

Her father had worked as a coal miner. He later became head of the town savings bank and then the burgomaster of Brand. Her mother came from a cobbler’s family.

Grete received a good education. Contemporary reports say she went to the best schools. She was described as accomplished in music and art. She moved in cultured and educated circles.

Reports from the time describe her as pretty, with fair hair and blue eyes. People who knew her said she had a friendly disposition and a liking for tasteful clothes and light-colored silks. She was often seen with a large St. Bernard dog.

When she was about seventeen she began a relationship with a man named Hans Merker. Her father disapproved of that match. Her family arranged an engagement with a wealthier and older man, Kurt Pressler.

The correct spelling of her surname is Beier, though newspapers and other sources often spelled it Beyer. Contemporary accounts described her as a young woman of about twenty-two from Brand.

Murder Story

Marie Margarethe "Grete" Beier was born on September 15, 1885. On May 13, 1907 she murdered her fiancée, Kurt Pressler, in Brand, Saxony. The case was classified as murder for financial gain. Investigators found forged documents and a will that suggested the death was a suicide.

She fell under suspicion when a letter she had written was discovered. She was arrested on June 26, 1907. She made a detailed confession to the crime. She hoped for clemency, but the court treated the killing as premeditated and sentenced her to death.

Her execution by guillotine took place on July 23, 1908. The execution was held in the yard of the regional court building. About 190 to 200 official witnesses attended, including the public prosecutor, Dr. Mannl, and the judges who had heard her case.

A bell rang at 6:30 a.m. to signal her final walk. She was led through the gardens by her lawyer and the prison chaplain, hands folded and eyes on the ground. She wore a black dress. On the platform she was strapped to the board. She cried out, "Father, into your hands I lay my soul — Father." The blade fell, the executioner announced that the judgment had been executed, and the whole event took about three minutes. Her body was taken away and buried next to her father.