Roland Steigerwald’s story shows the difficulties the legal system and mental health professionals face when handling severe criminal behavior linked with psychological disorders.
In 1987, at the age of 49, he faced trial for three slayings at the Nuremberg Regional Court.
Highlights
- Between 1971 and 1986, Steigerwald committed three slayings. Despite the severity of his crimes, his sentence was controversially reduced.
- His untreated mental health problems, combined with self-blaming, led to continued violence. Although he appeared smart and well-behaved in prison, his internal struggles persisted.
- As of the latest updates, Steigerwald remains in a psychiatric institution where he is receiving treatment for his personality disorder.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment and placed in a secure therapy facility due to a “mental abnormality.”
Roland Steigerwald’s Life From Reliable Metalworker To Being A Notorious Criminal!
85-year-old Roland Steigerwald was born in around 1939, a time when mental health understanding and treatments were not as advanced as they are today.
He was born before his parents were married and grew up in a small town where the child birth before getting married was looked down upon.
His mother, who also faced this taboo, took her frustration out on him. As a child, Roland felt unwanted and rejected, and was made to feel worthless.
However, despite struggles he completed his secondary and high school education, and took French and English courses and earned a diploma in accounting.
In his free time, Steigerwald enjoyed building vintage car models, earning a reputation for being “extremely reliable and qualified” in this hobby.
He also worked as a metalworker, contributing effectively to his job. However, Steigerwald’s life took a drastic turn when he became involved in a series of violent crimes.
Between 1971 and 1986, he committed three m*rders, making his case a troubling example of how mental health and criminal justice intersect.
His first conviction was for the slaying of Heinz Grieb in 1971. Despite the seriousness of this crime and his disturbing behavior, his sentence was reduced, allowing him to be released early.
This leniency was influenced by insufficient assessments of his mental health and rehabilitation.
Steigerwald went on to commit further slayings, including those of Cyrius Schnell in 1982 and Marek Felsch in 1985.
These subsequent crimes exposed serious flaws in his case’s judicial and psychological evaluations.
The early leniency he received, based on insufficient evaluations, allowed him to commit more heinous acts. The court’s understanding of Steigerwald’s psychological state was insufficient.
Even though he was smart and seemed well-behaved in prison, his untreated mental health problems continued.
His inner problems and self-hatred kept pushing him towards violence, which only stopped when he was arrested again.
Steigerwald’s case shows the criminal justice system’s struggles with serious mental health issues.
Not fully addressing his problems led him to commit more crimes, resulting in another m*rder conviction.
Roland Steigerwald’s Current Status & Alleged Ongoing Treatment In Psychiatric Care!
As of the latest updates, Roland Steigerwald reportedly remains in a psychiatric institution where he continues to receive treatment for his personality disorder since 1988.
In 2018, Steigerwald was moved to a regular prison and is now held at Straubing Prison.
Since then, Ahmed has been advocating for his release, which is now imminent. A psychiatric expert has concluded that he no longer poses a threat.
He has spent nearly 40 years of his life in prison, unfamiliar with cell phones or the internet—only knowing about them through hearsay.
But that might soon change, as Roland Steigerwald is on the verge of being released.
The expert supports his early release, stating that Steigerwald can still adjust to life outside of prison. Keeping him incarcerated would make resocialization increasingly difficult.
If Steigerwald had received better treatment earlier or if people had not relied on a simple view of his condition, it’s possible that some victims might still be alive today.
Additional Information
- Ronald’s “homosexual tendencies” are linked to the issues he experienced with his mother.
- His mother also taught him from a young age that s*xuality was something bad and forbidden.
- Roland Steigerwald’s actions represent a shift from his self-punishing urges to directing that aggression outward, specifically towards his partner.
