Life for German designer's killer

BBC.co.uk

November 21, 2005

A court in Munich has sentenced an Iraqi man to life imprisonment for murdering the flamboyant German fashion designer Rudolph Moshammer.

Herisch Ali Abdullah, 25, was found guilty of having strangled Moshammer with a cable to commit a robbery.

The murder allegedly happened during a row about payment for sexual favours.

Moshammer, 64, was found dead at his Munich villa on 14 January. He was famous for the extravagant clothes he designed for celebrities.

Mr Abdullah had confessed that Moshammer had offered to pay him 2,000 euros (£1,359) for sex when they met at a train station in Munich.

They went back to Moshammer's villa and had sex, but the designer later refused to pay, sparking an argument, he said.

Mr Abdullah, an asylum seeker, told the trial he had struck the designer, who fell to the ground. But he insisted that when he left the house, Moshammer was still alive.

Moshammer was always seen with his beloved pet, Yorkshire terrier Daisy, in his arms.

Among the designer's clients were Austrian-born Arnold Schwarzenegger, now Governor of California, tenor Jose Carreras and the Las Vegas-based magicians Siegfried and Roy.

But he was also a popular figure outside the world of celebrity, and up to 10,000 people lined the streets of Munich for his funeral procession.

Iraqi man admits to killing German designer

An Iraqi man admitted at the start of his murder trial on Wednesday to throttling flamboyant German fashion designer Rudolph Moshammer, known as much for his eccentric wig and pet dog as his creations.

Reuters.com

November 4, 2005

An Iraqi man admitted at the start of his murder trial on Wednesday to throttling flamboyant German fashion designer Rudolph Moshammer, known as much for his eccentric wig and pet dog as his creations.

Herisch Ali Abdullah, 25, acknowledged under questioning he had slung a cable around Moshammer's neck after an argument in the designer's villa and left him groaning on the floor.

Abdullah initially said he could not remember the fateful January night, but finally answered "Yes" when asked if the judge's description of events was correct.

Moshammer, 64, was reported to have had clients over the years ranging from actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Richard Chamberlain to singer Jose Carreras. Prosecutors say Moshammer picked up Abdullah near Munich's central railway station for sexual favours and the two later argued because Abdullah wanted money before fulfilling all the designer's wishes.

Moshammer abruptly locked all the villa's doors and demanded sex, leading to an argument, Abdullah said.

Dog gets German designer's house

BBC.co.uk

January 21, 2005

Murdered German fashion designer Rudolph Moshammer has left his home in Munich to his Yorkshire terrier Daisy.

Under the terms of Moshammer's will his beloved pet will stay at the villa until she dies, cared for by his former chauffeur, the newspaper Bild reports.

A 25-year-old Iraqi man has been charged with killing the designer, found dead at his home on 14 January.

Millions of Germans are expected to watch TV coverage of the flamboyant 64-year-old's funeral on Saturday.

Homeless charities

Always seen with Daisy in his arms, he built a reputation for the extravagant clothes he designed and wore, and was well known on Germany's celebrity circuit.

Among his clients were Austrian-born Arnold Schwarzenegger, now Governor of California, tenor Jose Carreras and the Las Vegas-based magicians Siegfried and Roy.

Moshammer first opened a boutique in Munich's most expensive street, Maximilianstrasse, in 1967, where he offered his fur, cashmere and silk garments.

His funeral procession is expected to pause in front of the shop before continuing on to Munich's Ostfriedhof cemetery, where he will be buried next to his mother and a previous pet Yorkshire terrier.

According to reports, the designer's will stipulates that the bulk of his estate should go to the benefactor who helped him realise the dream of opening the boutique almost 40 years ago.

Meanwhile, the proceeds from the sale of the shop, limousines and other possessions are to go charities for the homeless.

In 2002, Moshammer sold a shirt thought to have been worn by Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo at auction for more than 62,000 euros ($81,200), donating the proceeds to a Munich homeless charity.

German design guru 'was murdered'

BBC.co.uk

January 14, 2005

Police have begun a murder inquiry after a flamboyant German fashion designer was found apparently strangled to death at his Munich villa.

Rudolph Moshammer was discovered by his driver on Friday morning with a telephone cable around his neck.

Police said an autopsy showed the cord had been the murder weapon.

Mr Moshammer, 64, built a reputation for the extravagant clothes he designed and wore, and was well known on Germany's celebrity circuit.

'No burglary'

Munich prosecutor Peter Boie said there was no apparent motive for the attack but police were conducting investigations in Munich's gay scene.

Mr Boie said: "Everything indicates that he was murdered. He had neck injuries."

He said there were no signs of a burglary or fight and no items of value had been removed.

Harald Pickert, the officer leading the inquiry, said Mr Moshammer had last been seen alive at about 2200 local time (2100 GMT) when he went home alone in his car after dining in Munich.

A police spokesman said the designer had probably been killed at about midnight.

Among his clients were Austrian-born Arnold Schwarzenegger, now Governor of California, tenor singer Jose Carreras and the Las Vegas-based magicians Siegfried and Roy.

Mr Moshammer opened a boutique in Munich's most expensive street, the Maximilianstrasse in 1967, where he offered his fur, cashmere and silk garments.

In 2002, he sold a shirt thought to have been worn by Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo at auction for more than £40,000 (62,000 euros), donating the proceeds to a Munich homeless charity.

He claimed to be 59 but was revealed to be 64 when he appeared in an Austrian court for a driving offence.

The designer's Yorkshire terrier Daisy, who accompanied him everywhere, was found unharmed at his villa, police said.

Rudolph Moshammer (27 September 1940 – 14 January 2005) was a German fashion designer. He was murdered at the age of 64 in the Grünwald suburb of Munich, Germany.

Life

Born in Munich, Germany, Moshammer had an education in retail industry trading. He began to design fashion in the 1960s.

His base of existence was his boutique "Carnaval de Venise" in Munich's high society street, Maximilianstraße. There he created fashion for wealthy men from furs, cashmere, and silk. With this strategy he attracted the high society of Munich and Germany. His international clients included:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn and Taxis
Actor Richard Chamberlain
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Star tenor José Carreras
Magicians Siegfried and Roy
German media personality Thomas Gottschalk.

He had inherited the boutique from his mother, Else Moshammer. He had a strong relationship with her and frequently appeared in public with her. She died in 1993.

Moshammer was an eccentric and iridescent personality. He was well known for carrying his Yorkshire Terrier dog Daisy in public wherever he went, and even wrote a book about her.

Moshammer had a strong commitment to helping homeless people. For this he was awarded the "Martin's Coat 2000" of the radio station, "Sankt Michaelsbund".

Moshammer played in some made-for-TV movies like in the German crime series Tatort.

He had a musical band, "Münchner Zwietracht" ("Munich Dissension"), with whom he was a contestant in the German Eurovision Song Contest preliminary round show in 2001. The song was entitled "Teilt Freud und Leid" ("Share Happiness and Sorrow").

In 2002, Moshammer sold a shirt thought to have been worn by Napoleon I at the Battle of Waterloo at auction for more than 62,000 euros ($81,200), donating the proceeds to a Munich homeless charity.

Death

On the morning of January 14, 2005, at 9 AM, his personal driver found him dead in his mansion in Grünwald, a suburb south of Munich. According to first reports of the public prosecutors, Moshammer had been strangled with a black telephone cable. The cable was found near the dead body. Daisy was found unharmed in the living room of his mansion.

The Munich police gave a press conference at noon on Sunday, January 16, reporting that a 25 year-old Iraqi asylum seeker Herisch Ali Abdullah, who had been tracked down through a DNA database, had admitted murdering Moshammer. It has been alleged that Moshammer had refused to pay 2000 euros to the man, who was in financial difficulties, in return for sexual favors. Abdullah was sentenced to life in prison for the murder.

Legacy

Moshammer was one of Germany's most successful fashion designers after Karl Lagerfeld, Jil Sander and Wolfgang Joop. Furthermore, he committed his wealth to helping homeless people. He had recently begun to build a house for the homeless in Munich.

Wikipedia.org