Hans Erwin Hagedorn (30 January 1952 – 15 September 1972) was an East German serial killer who murdered three young boys from 1969 until 1971.

On 31 May 1969, Hagedorn killed two nine-year-old boys, Henry Specht and Mario Louis, in a forest in Eberswalde with a knife.

Extensive investigations were commenced, with a psychological offender profile being assembled and the Ministry for State Security obtaining documents about the case of West German child murderer Jürgen Bartsch.

East Germany had abolished capital punishment for juvenile offenders in 1952, meaning that Hagedorn could only face execution for the murder he committed in 1971, when he was an adult.

[1] Die großen Kriminalfälle: Tod einer Bestie – Der Fall Hagedorn, 2001 (German)