Władysław Mazurkiewicz was born in Kraków on January 30, 1911, at a time when Poland’s territory was divided among Germany, Russia, and Austro-Hungary. His mother died when he was just three years old, and he was raised by his father and extended family. Though not wealthy, his father, a painter, ensured he received a good education. He enrolled in law at the prestigious Jagiellonian University, founded in 1346 by King Casimir III.
Struggling to keep up with affluent classmates, he took a job at a printing house and began gambling to fund a lavish social life. Eventually, he abandoned his studies altogether. Known for his handsome appearance, immaculate dress, and charming manners, he was widely regarded as a perfect gentleman. When Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, and the Soviet Union followed on September 17, the country fell under occupation.
Mazurkiewicz remained in Kraków and became a trader in foreign currency, gold, and diamonds. Through his business, he met Rudolf Arnold, the human resources chief of the Kraków Gestapo, who issued him a Gestapo hairdresser’s ID. This allowed him to travel freely, socialize in the best circles, and befriend German officers while continuing his illicit dealings. Despite the occupation and the deportation of Polish citizens to concentration camps, Mazurkiewicz cooperated with the occupiers without remorse.
His priority was his own enrichment and an extravagant lifestyle of casinos, entertainment, and fine clothing. In 1940, while having tea with a friend named Wiktor, Mazurkiewicz slipped cyanide into his cup. The strong tea masked its bitter almond taste. After Wiktor died, Mazurkiewicz stripped him of the $1,200 he was carrying, shot him, and disposed of his body in the Vistula River.
He also profited from the fate of Jewish people transported to concentration camps. Though deportees were forbidden from bringing valuables, many hid coins, banknotes, and silver in their luggage. Once they arrived at the camps, their possessions were sorted and sold, and Mazurkiewicz traded the stolen gold, furs, and leather goods on the black market, amassing a small fortune. By 1943, he was regarded as one of Kraków’s most influential figures, though many treated him with suspicion.
A friend introduced him to a Polish soldier of Jewish ancestry named Tadeusz, who was hiding in the city. Mazurkiewicz offered him a deal involving forged currency, and Tadeusz gave him $200 to secure the notes. On their way to complete the transaction, Mazurkiewicz offered him lunch. Food was rationed, but Mazurkiewicz obtained a ham and lettuce sandwich and a small bottle of vodka.
Tadeusz soon felt severe stomach pain and tasted the distinct almond sensation of cyanide. He ran to a woman for help and drank milk, which saved his life. Hospitalized and recovering the next day, he confronted Mazurkiewicz, demanding his money back. Mazurkiewicz refused, offering only half and threatening to report him to the Gestapo for his Jewish ancestry.
Furious but powerless, Tadeusz accepted. During this period, Mazurkiewicz married a young woman named Helena. The couple lived in a fashionable apartment in Market Square, and Helena shared her husband’s taste for luxury, often boasting about his apartments in Kraków and Warsaw. After the war ended in 1945, Mazurkiewicz worked for the Polish Red Cross, traveling across Europe to help Polish families return home.
He also traded wine and offered driving lessons, appearing to have left his criminal past behind. In 1955, he agreed to a business deal with a man named Stanisław Wapiński, who dealt in foreign currency and imported watches. Together, they drove from Zakopane, at the foot of the Tatra Mountains, back toward Warsaw, a distance of about 400 kilometers. They stopped at a tavern, where Stanisław drank heavily and fell asleep in the car.
Later, Mazurkiewicz stopped the car, pulled out his pistol, and shot him in the head. As they approached Warsaw, Mazurkiewicz was stunned to see Stanisław suddenly wake up, complaining of a pain in his head. The bullet had miraculously missed his brain. Laughing, Mazurkiewicz claimed he had played a joke on him with a firecracker.
When they reached the city center, Stanisław felt unwell and went to the hospital. An X-ray revealed an object lodged in his skull, and surgery showed it was a bullet. Realizing Mazurkiewicz had tried to kill him, presumably to rob him, Stanisław went straight to the police and reported the incident. A warrant was issued for Mazurkiewicz, but he had already left the city.
He was found 30 days later in a hotel near Zakopane, possibly planning to cross into Czechoslovakia. He was arrested and taken into custody. During a search of his house, police found luxury goods and noticed that the garage floor appeared freshly reconcreted. When they broke through the surface, they discovered the bodies of two young women.
The victims were identified as the Leveau sisters, who came from a wealthy Polish family. Mazurkiewicz confessed fully after the discovery. He said he had befriended the sisters through his social connections. When they asked him to safeguard their jewels and foreign currency while they were away, he spent their money on expensive goods and lost the rest gambling.
Rather than admit this, he invited them over for tea and shot both women in the back of the head, burying them in his garage. He also admitted to killing Jerzy, the wealthy husband of one of the sisters, whose body was dumped in the river. Mazurkiewicz also confessed to the earlier murder of Wiktor. After an investigation conducted by both the intelligence service and the police, he was charged with the murder of six people and two attempted murders.
His trial began in 1956 and became a sensation, drawing more public interest than any case since the Rita Goganova trial in 1932. Entry was by ticket only, and tickets were sold on the black market at high prices. He had confessed to the crimes and provided detailed accounts. Police had located the gun he used, and witnesses confirmed it belonged to him.
His defense claimed the confession was false and had been extracted under torture. The confession was retracted. Nevertheless, on August 30, 1956, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. On January 29, 1957, two days before his 46th birthday, Mazurkiewicz was hanged in Kraków.
How many people he actually killed remains unknown. He told police the total could exceed 30, but no evidence has ever been produced to support that number.