Storm Troop Lieutenant Helmut Hoter was given four and one-half years at hard labor by the local Court of Assizes, with two years of pretrial custody to be deducted, for one of the first killings of Jews perpetrated after the Nazis’ advent to power.
In May 1933 Hoter and his group of brown shirted Storm Troops kidnapped a Jewish dentist from the Ruhr city of Wuppertal, Dr. Meyer, and took him to the headquarters of the unit commanded by Hoter. There, the dentist was beaten to death in bestial fashion, stuffed into a sack and thrown in a nearby river. In 1948, when Hoter was to have been arrested, he fled to Switzerland and claimed asylum as a political refugee. He was eventually extradited, however.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
