More on Mathias Gernot Schröder

He is a disturbed and dangerous man with whom you should have no contact.

This appears to be a picture of Mathias Gernot Schröder, posted originally on a 2016 blog post which I refer to frequently in this article.

No person on earth has done more to discredit critics of Söring’s innocence claims than Mathias Gernot Schröder.

Schröder is a German man, now in his mid-50s. In his teens, he was arrested for fraud in England in 1986 and spend some time in remand prison with Jens Söring. In 2018, Schröder sent a letter to the Virginia Parole Board claiming that Jens Söring has confessed to him after the two formed a loose friendship based on their shared German nationality and language.

Yet this was only the tip of the iceberg. Before 2018, for over a decade, someone from Germany had been anonymously sending Jens Söring postcards in prison in Virginia. These postcards were full of cruel, vicious taunting and grotesque sexual insults. The writer called Söring “LADYBOY” and expressed the hope that Söring was being beaten and raped behind bars.

The postcards are covered in a crazy looping scrawl, 90% German/10% English, often with words like “ANAL SEX” or “LADYBOY” written in large letters on the front and back. The writer accuses Söring of being a liar, a killer, a psychopath, and a white “suprenac[ist]” and much else besides. The writer constantly taunts Söring about how he is missing out on life and has to endure constant harassment and exploitation at the hands of his fellow prisoners. Above all, there are constant references to oral sex, anal sex, masturbation, ejaculation, semen, urine, Viagra, etc.

This German person sent dozens, if not hundreds, of these postcards to Söring in Virginia. To read even one of them is to understand immediately that the person writing them is mentally ill. Eventually, someone using the same style and with the same perverted obsessions began to write Söring’s female supporters in Germany. These unsigned, computer-printed letters also contained endless coarse and revolting sexual insults. Again, it is evident that whoever wrote them is a misogynist filled with poisonous hatred and bile not only against Söring, but against women. The writer seemed particularly fixated on women being humiliated by being urinated on.

Based on various factors including the style, handwriting, the constant sexual remarks, and certain telltale insider references, Söring’s supporters concluded that the writer of both the postcards and the letters was Mathias Gernot Schröder (MGS). I share this opinion.

Based on the postcards — which were sent over a period of almost 13 years — and letters, any observer will form the opinion that MGS is mentally unbalanced, filled with hatred and resentment, and obsessed with Jens Söring. Yet there is much more to MGS, all of it unsettling. A 1992 Spiegel article about the increasing prevalence of pistols in Germany, English title “Cold Steel on the Hip”, begins thus:

Initially, Mathias Gernot Schröder (23) from Frankfurt had only been charged with credit card fraud. Psychiatric ex­perts — as is so often the case — disagreed. One diagnosed “personality disorder”; the other said Schröder’s behavior was absolutely “normal”. A routine case, by the looks o f it.

But then, Schroder, who has been incarcerated in Frankfurt since last December, went on a shooting spree. Jealous of a romantic rival, he fired shots at his girlfriend’s parked Renault 19 and, to top it all off, shot at the neighbor’s cars as well.

That was only the beginning. Three weeks later, he killed a homeless person named Siegfried Rudzick in Frankfurt’s Westend with two shots from a Ceska, a Czech 9 mm pistol. After the deed, he pulled out the gun again; in the airport disco ‘Dorian Gray’ where he randomly shot at dancing guests. Two young women were injured by bullets. 22-year-old eye-witness Steffen stated: “I was dancing with a lady when, all of a sudden, she slumped down.”

The story continues from a 2016 blog post about Schröder. Schröder, the post reports, was the son of a successful businessman and first got in trouble at the age of 16 for credit-card fraud. He then received another 3-year sentence in a youth facility, from which he was released in June 1991. In December of that year, he went on his shooting spree. The blog continues:

Two weeks after he had shot Rudzick and the two women in the disco, Mathias Gernot Schröder was caught in a traffic stop for driving under the influence of alcohol and without a license. Police found he was wanted for fraud. After a forensic examiner inspected the bullets fired from his gun at parked cars, he was charged with murder and attempted manslaughter.

At trial, he meandered off into long explanations, claiming to be the victim of an extraordinary series of unlucky coincidences. He attacked his own (female) defense attorney without provocation, spat on her, destroyed a table. No explanation was given for why Siegfried Rudzick was killed. Ater a long and difficult trial, Mathias Gernot Schröder was sentenced on 12 January 1995 to 11 years in prison. Three police officers were in court to make sure he could be subdued if necessary. The prosecution had requested an order permitting preventive detention of Schröder after his sentence was completed, but the court found this was unnecessary.

If you’re doing a double-take right now because a man with previous convictions got only 11 years for shooting three people and killing one — after causing several disturbances in the courtroom — you are not alone. The German criminal justice system is notorious for its extremely lax penalties, even (perhaps especially) for violent crimes.

If it had been up to me, Schröder would never have known another day in freedom.

But alas, Germany believes in “second chances” even for people who do not deserve them, so Schröder was free just a few years later. According to the blog post, Schröder then began calling himself a lawyer and setting up various networks of shady diploma mills and selling his services as a “Ph.D.” consultant. Around this time, I and many others believe, Schröder began sending the anonymous postcards to Söring in Virginia.

When “Pardon” began posting comments on this blog, I had no suspicions about him. I still do not know for certain that “Pardon” is MGS, so that is only my opinion. What I did see was that he seemed to be very well-informed about the case. I often receive tips and information from people who know Söring or were involved in the case. Much of this information I have never mentioned publicly. I assumed “Pardon” was just another person interested in the case, although he was more knowledgeable than most.

“Pardon” also used the chat function on the app to address me directly. At some point, based on his vulgar, hate-filled tone and some of the assertions he made, I formed the opinion that Pardon was in fact either MGS, or someone working closely with him. Looking back, I probably should have considered this possibility sooner. Based on information I had, I thought MGS was still involved in the German justice system, possibly still in prison or under supervision. I also had no reason to assume MGS was still actively following Söring’s activities even five years after Söring’s release.

In any event, whoever “Pardon” was in 2025, he seemed to be obsessed with Söring’s current activities. He appeared to be actively attempting to gather non-public information about Söring, including by trying to insinuate himself or people working with him into Söring’s circle of friends and supporters. He stated that he was certain Söring would kill again.

I found Pardon’s statements increasingly disturbing; I would characterize many of the activities he engaged in as stalking, either in the everyday sense or possibly even the legal sense. This is when I decided to perma-ban him and delete all his comments. Over the years, I have become privy to information about Söring, including about his private life. I have not mentioned this information publicly, because I believe Söring has a legitimate claim to privacy, even though he is a public figure and has written and spoken extensively about his case.

Another reason I respect Söring’s privacy is that I have known about MGS’ activities for years. When Söring complains about a “crazy stalker” being after him, that is no invention. If “Pardon” is in fact MGS, which I believe to be the case, Söring has every right to be concerned. MGS has shown not only a capacity for lethal violence, but also a documented ability to swindle. He is capable of convincing even intelligent people that he is nothing more than a legitimate businessman and college graduate.

But the postcards and letters show he is still plagued by freakish obsessions. In my opinion, MGS may believe that he can salvage his own ruined reputation by exposing Söring’s false claims and highlighting his (alleged) continuing danger to society. However, he is unwilling to do so in the open and under his own name. If he wants to contribute to the debate over Söring’s claims, he should do so honestly and forthrightly, and face the consequences for his actions and his claims.

The harm MGS has done to the cause of correcting the historical record is incalculable. For years, Söring supporters claimed, behind the scenes, that Holdsworth was really MGS, or that I was really MGS, or that Terry Wright was MGS. Then they would show a reporter or journalist the vile postcards and letters, and suggest that the deranged, sex-obsessed fanatic who wrote them was co-ordinating a “campaign” against Jens Söring from behind the scenes.

To finish up this post, let me make some short clear statements:

• I have not ever knowingly associated with MGS. I have always cited his account of Söring’s supposed 1986 confession with caveats.

• I consider MGS to be mentally unbalanced and dangerous.

• It is my opinion that MGS in fact wrote the postcards to Jens Söring in Virginia and the unsigned anonymous type-written letters to Söring’s female supporters in Germany.

• It is my opinion, and those of others extremely familiar with his writings, that “Pardon” is MGS.

• It is my opinion that right now, in Germany, MGS is engaging in behavior with respect to Jens Söring that could be called stalking in the colloquial, everyday sense, not as a formal legal accusation.

• Anyone who has been in contact with “Pardon” or any of his alternate Internet personalities should disregard anything “Pardon” says about this case.

To end this post, two messages to people who read this blog:

To Jens Söring: I know that MGS has been harassing you for almost two decades with revolting insults. I believe that he is now actively trying to discover information about you in a manner I would describe as stalking. I fully understand you are disgusted and unsettled by this conduct and fearful for what MGS might do next. On this point, I am on your side, and will assist you in any way I can to prevent any danger to you that might arise from MGS’s obsession.

To MGS: I am not your ally, friend, or partner. I want nothing to do with you. If I ever even suspect that you are commenting here, I will instantly block you. I believe you need (more) professional help. You have set back the task of correcting the historical record in Jens Söring’s case by 10+ years. Give up. Whatever information you claim to have about Jens Söring is permanently tainted by your criminal history of random shootings and rampant fraud. Nobody will ever take it seriously. Including me. But if you choose to continue your activities, do so in the open, honestly, under your own name.

This was an unusually serious post. I hope you understand why I felt I had to write it. I welcome any and all comments, as long as they’re respectful and on-topic.