Vengeance Served Cold: A Father's Relentless Quest: André Bamberski

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It was a warm summer morning in Petschbusch, france,
on the 10th of July 1982.
Andrei Bamberski was in hishome when his phone began to
ring.
Andrei was a successfulaccountant.
On the other end of the linewas Daniel, his ex-wife, who
lived in Lindau, germany.
She informed Andrei that theironly daughter, 14-year-old
Kalinka, was dead.

(00:20):
Welcome to this episode ofHuman Wreckage.
In this episode we look at thecase of Andrei Bambursky and how
his vengeance for hisdaughter's death is what legends
are made of.
Let's get into it.
Andrei couldn't comprehend whathe was hearing.

(01:08):
How could his daughter be dead?
She was a happy and healthyteenager and was active in
numerous sports.
According to Daniel, kalinkahad died in the middle of the
night.
She said that an autopsy hadnot yet been conducted, but that
one could be carried outshortly.
Daniel knew all about theautopsy protocol because her
husband, dieter Kronbach, was awell-known doctor and former

(01:30):
diplomat with friends in veryhigh places.
In 1975, daniel had left Andreifor Kronbach, and she and
Kalinka and Kalinka's brotherhad moved in with Kronbach.
Andrei soon discovered that itwas Kronbach who had discovered
the body of Kalinka and calledfor the doctor.
When Dr Jobst arrived at thescene, krombach had told him
that at around 7.30 pm theprevious evening he had injected

(01:53):
Kalinka with a compound whichhe refused to name.
According to Krombach, thecompound was to help Kalinka tan
more easily.
He said that at around midnighthe then gave her a sleeping
tablet when she could not sleep.
The autopsy was conducted by DrHohmann and Dr Doman Kronbach
was present during theexamination.
The autopsy found thatKailinka's vagina had been torn

(02:16):
and blood was found in herunderwear.
There were also severalinjection marks on her arms,
legs and throat.
An internal examination turnedup a white substance in her
vagina and undigested foodinside her stomach.
No toxicology tests wereconducted and the estimated time
of death was between 3M and 4M.
However, this doesn't explainthe undigested food.

(02:37):
Kalinka had last eaten at 7pmand her food would have been
digested by that time.
Furthermore, the whitesubstance was never analyzed.
Despite these suspiciousfindings, kronbach was not
formally interviewed.
Commissioner Jebath of theLindau Police, however, did
speak with him over the phone.
During this conversation,kronbach offered a different

(02:57):
version of events to the one hetold Dr Jobst.
He told Jebath that he hadinjected Kalinka with iron and
cobalt to treat anemia at arounddinnertime.
He also said that when he foundher unconscious he injected her
with dopamine and dilated in abid to wake her up.
The doctors concluded thatthere was no foul play.
They couldn't determine hercause of death, but experts

(03:19):
suggested that Kalikma had diedfrom heart failure after having
sunstroke from windsurfing theprevious day.
Around three months later,andrei finally received a copy
of his daughter's autopsy report.
By this time the case hadalready been long closed.
A wave of dread washed overAndrei as he read the findings
To him.
It read as though his daughterhad been drugged, raped and then

(03:41):
murdered, and then her killerallowed to go free.
Andrei devoted his life topursuing Kronbach.
He demanded that a secondautopsy be carried out.
However, when Kalinka's bodywas finally exhumed, it was
discovered that her sexualorgans had been removed, ruling
out testing on the whitesubstance.
The autopsy report was reviewedby Professor Spahn of the

(04:01):
Munich Forensic Institute.
Spahn cast doubt on Kronbach'stestimony and concluded that the
iron and cobalt injection hadbeen administered much later
than when he claimed.
When authorities refused toreopen the case, andrei traveled
to Germany to deliver leafletsto Kronbach's neighbors.
I had written to theinhabitants.
I told them that they had toknow that in their town there

(04:22):
was a criminal doctor, and Igave his name address and said
that he had raped and killed mydaughter.
He later said Kronbach foughtback with the defamation lawsuit
and won damages of $150,000.
Andrei refused to pay.
After years of campaigning,andrei finally convinced
authorities to file murdercharges against Kronbach.
In 1995, a trial in absentiatook place because Germany

(04:46):
refused to extradite Kronbach,stating that the case had been
closed in 1987 and Germancitizens could not be extradited
.
He was sentenced to 15 years inprison but didn't serve a day.
Instead, he continued living acomfortable life in Germany.
While in Germany, kromach wasconvicted of drugging and
sexually assaulting a teenagepatient in his office.

(05:06):
He was fired from his role butonly received a suspended
sentence.
Shortly thereafter, severalother women came forward to say
they had been drugged andassaulted by Kronbach.
However, due to lack ofphysical evidence, the cases
were not pursued.
Meanwhile, daniel divorced.
Kronbach Infuriated.
Andrei refused to give up in hisfight for justice.

(05:27):
He hired private detectives totrack Kronbach down even after
he moved home and changed hisphone number.
In the early morning hours ofthe 18th of October 2009, french
police received an anonymoustip from someone informing them
that in the residential streetof Rue du Tillul in Mulhouse
they would discover a notoriousfugitive.
When they arrived, they foundDr Dieter Krombach gagged and

(05:51):
was bleeding on the pavement.
You may be questioning howKrombach got here.
Well, andrei Bamberski was sickof waiting around for the slow
wheels of justice and decided totake things into his own hands.
He paid several men to abductKrombach from his home in
Bavaria and drive him toMulhouse, france, where he was
found by police.
Germany demanded that Kromachbe returned in Bamberski and the

(06:13):
abductors be extradited toGermany.
France refused and insteadcharged Kronbach in relation to
the death of Kylinka andreleased Bamberski on bail.
Kronbach's lawyer launched sevenattempts to have his trial
stopped, but to no avail.
This trial is the culminationof 29 years of exhausting
initiatives of dysfunction andjudicial bungling.

(06:34):
It is true that I have beenrelentless in my pursuit of the
truth, but I regret nothing,even if I have sacrificed part
of my life, said André.
Dieter Kronbach was foundguilty of deliberate violence
leading to involuntary death.
He was sentenced to 15 years inprison, finally ending one of
the most bizarre cross-borderjudicial disputes in legal

(06:54):
history.
My first thought is for Kalinka, said Andrei.
What I promised her, what Iwanted, was a complete and fair
trial.
Now that goal has been reached.
Justice has been done in hermemory and now I will be able to
mourn for her.
Bamburski stood trial in Francefor his part in the abduction.
He confessed and said that hehad been morally bound to abduct

(07:16):
Kronbach.
He received a one-yearsuspended jail sentence.
The prosecutor praised Andreifor his courage and perseverance
.
Thanks for joining me on thisepisode of Human Wreckage.
Till next time, take care ofyourselves.
Thanks for watching.