About This Episode
Johannes-Andreas Hanni was born on 24 March 1957 in Valga, Estonia. By the spring of 1982, he had become one of his country's most dangerous killers, committing three confirmed murders over the course of just six months.
Hanni's first victim was Eimar Vibo, a sailor from the island of Saaremaa. On 5 March 1982, Hanni stabbed Vibo to death on Valdeku Street in the Nõmme district of Tallinn. What made this murder particularly disturbing was what followed: Hanni cut off a portion of his victim's thigh and took it home. When his wife Pille discovered what he had done, he told her he wanted to eat human flesh.
Four months later, in late July 1982, Hanni claimed his second victim. Yevgenia Koltsova, a middle-aged Russian vagrant, was picking raspberries in the forest between Laagri and Saue when Hanni attacked. He raped and murdered her, leaving her body in the woods.
On 2 September 1982, Hanni attempted to claim a third life, this time with his wife's involvement in the planning. The target was Alari Kivi, a taxi driver. Hanni attacked Kivi with a knife in what was meant to be a fatal assault. However, unlike his previous victims, Kivi survived the attack, though he sustained serious injuries.
Three days later, on 2 October 1982, Estonian police arrested Hanni. Investigators connected him to all three murders and the attempted murder of Kivi.
The Role of His Wife
Pille Hanni's involvement in her husband's crimes remains a significant aspect of this case. She did not merely turn a blind eye to his actions—she actively aided him. Her knowledge of his cannibalistic desires and her participation in planning at least one of the murders made her complicit in his crimes.
Years after the case concluded, Pille Hanni published a memoir in 2009 titled *"Ma armastasin kiskjat"* ("I Loved the Predator"), in which she reflected on her relationship with the man she had married and the horrifying crimes she had witnessed and assisted.
The End
Johannes-Andreas Hanni died on 6 November 1982, at the age of 25, by suicide while in custody. He hanged himself, taking his own life just over a month after his arrest and before he could face trial for his crimes.
The Hanni case remains a dark chapter in Estonian criminal history. It exposed not only the depths of individual human depravity but also raised disturbing questions about complicity within intimate relationships. The fact that his own wife knew of and aided his crimes added another layer of complexity to an already horrifying series of events.
For those interested in the case, Pille Hanni's memoir provides a firsthand account from someone who lived through these events, though it remains a controversial work given her role in the crimes themselves.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes-Andreas_Hanni
https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes-Andreas_Hanni
https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes-Andreas_Hanni
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7HAxtzDogrGgm6XQsZiygc
https://www.scribd.com/document/358016987/Fs-050917
