In one of the most shocking courtroom moments in history, a grieving mother took justice into her own hands.

Marianne Bachmeier, a woman forever marked by tragedy, fired seven shots at the man who had murdered her seven-year-old daughter, Anna, right in front of a packed courtroom in Germany.

Her heartbreaking story began in 1980 when Anna was abducted and killed by Klaus Grabowski, a convicted offender with a history of violence. Authorities later learned that he strangled the little girl and left her body near a canal — a crime that horrified the nation.

During his 1981 trial, Marianne’s pain turned to fury. Concealing a small pistol, she stood up and shot Grabowski six times, ending his life instantly. “I wanted to shoot him in the face,” she later admitted, expressing years of unbearable grief in a single act.

Public opinion split sharply — some saw her as a murderer, others as a mother driven past her breaking point.

Convicted of manslaughter, she served three years in prison before seeking peace abroad. Marianne eventually returned home, where she died of cancer in 1996, buried beside her beloved daughter.

Even decades later, her story still stirs reflection — where does justice end, and pain begin?