WaPo Berlin - Season 4

On Hanna Kowollik's first day as a new colleague in the WaPo Berlin team, the body of an employee of the Foreign Office is found in the Spree Canal near the controversial Humboldt Forum. Initial investigations by the WaPo team reveal that Markus Förster was allegedly killed with a hammer in the beer garden of the Flussbad Association.

Aylin Krüger reports her roommate Laura Kastner missing after finding Laura's handbag at the swimming area of the "Kleine Freiheit" campsite.

Axel and Fahri discover the body of a man dressed as Frederick the Great near Berlin Cathedral. The victim was struck from behind and is identified as Jens Mommsen, a long-term student who earned extra money by giving historical city tours. Apparently, Mommsen had an argument with his colleague Robert Baars the night before.

A sunny morning on the River Spree—a jet ski is speeding along at over 80 km/h. But the reckless ride does not go unnoticed: the jet ski is tracked by the Water Police Berlin's camera drone, and the rider is stopped by Axel and Fahri. Yet the footage shows more than just the dangerously fast jet ski—amid the riverside undergrowth, Fahri and Axel spot the body of a man!

The body of 17-year-old boarding school student Alina Kowalewa is found in Lake Tegel. The girl had already been missing for two weeks. The cause of death is a gunshot wound to the head, and her body was deliberately submerged in the lake. Who killed the seventeen-year-old, who was described by everyone as a model student?

The creative director of a successful video game start-up is dead: Ion Pechlin is found floating in the River Spree—with a sword of all things lodged in his back. The charismatic figurehead of the up-and-coming indie studio "Kreuzberg Korsaren" seemed to be universally liked. Who could have wanted him dead? His business partner and best friend, Marcus Knipphoff, is stunned.

The investigators of the Water Police Berlin quickly realize that the start-up's imaginative façade masks brutally harsh working conditions bordering on exploitation. The new video game "Rusty River 2" is due to launch in just a few days, forcing employees to work around the clock at their computers.

The Water Police discover an unmanned kayak on Lake Wannsee. It belongs to Steffen Engelhard, who runs a guesthouse and kayak rental on the lake with his wife and son. Steffen is initially missing—until Fahri and Axel discover his body floating in the water.

The investigation reveals that he was beaten to death with a paddle as he was returning from a kayak tour and docking at the rental pier. The tourist Marie Hanschke soon comes under suspicion. For several weeks, the young trans woman had been staying in a room at the Engelhard family's guesthouse, taking a break from big-city Berlin, where she lives in a shared apartment with her best friend Isabel Noack and several other women.

A body is found in the water—without identification, but bearing highly unusual injuries: multiple muscle fiber tears all over the body. Even Dr. Conrad is initially unable to explain what happened to the victim. Only after the body is identified as fitness trainer Malte Berger, and it becomes clear where he spent his final hours, does the investigation gain momentum.

The strange event is called "Men's Protection Zone" and appears to be a kind of harmless adventure playground for men. But rumors quickly begin to circulate—of arms dealing, torture, and more or less legal financial schemes.

The WaPo team discovers that the victim had filed charges against the organizer of the Men's Protection Zone, Uwe Brandis, demanding compensation for faulty advice. Malte Berger had lost a substantial sum after investing in cryptocurrencies recommended by Brandis. Did Brandis try to cover up his consulting mistake?

Early in the morning, Jasmin is out on the Müggelspree in a canoe when a gunshot suddenly rings out. At first she believes the shot was meant for her, but then she realizes that a young stand-up paddler nearby is lying dead in the water. Jasmin immediately raises the alarm and has the waterways sealed off.

Shortly afterward, she receives a call from Police Commissioner Alexandra Falkenbach, making it clear that the young woman had been in the witness protection program. The victim, Sophie Reuting, was due to testify in a trial against a notorious Frankfurt biker gang. The investigative team suspects the perpetrators come from the biker scene.

But Enzo Küster, who was having a secret affair with the victim, and his girlfriend Nele Nowak also have a motive. When it emerges that Enzo's foster father, Mitch Gellner, owns two hunting rifles—one of which is missing—the pressure on Enzo and Nele intensifies.

Then, suddenly, the case takes an unexpected turn.

A bizarre discovery in a Berlin lake: in a small bay, the body of a woman has been weighted down with a stone, and dozens of luxury roses have been scattered across the surface of the water. Investigators quickly determine that the victim is star soprano Christina Varell, who had hosted a reception aboard her yacht "Lohengrin" the previous evening. The temperamental opera diva had suddenly disappeared from there.

Earlier, the sewage boat operator and water systems technician Frido Zille had carried out repairs on the yacht. Forensic pathologist Dr. Dillinger is able to reconstruct the sequence of events: Christina Varell most likely fell from a height, tumbling down a short flight of steps.

But who had a motive for murder? Her young partner Tim Molsen becomes the prime suspect, as he had been cheating on Varell with other women. Yet Varell's understudy, Li von Haselstein, also stands to benefit from the death of her rival. Opera director Florian Herzog is likewise under suspicion, as he was apparently being blackmailed by the diva. What did she have on him?

After a party with friends, 16-year-old Paul Hübner is found dead in the water. His mother, Katrin Hübner, is devastated. At the scene, Wolf and Hanna determine from the evidence that everything points to foul play. In addition, several valuable compasses have been stolen from the family home—keepsakes belonging to Paul's late father. Are Paul's death and the theft connected?

One of the party guests quickly becomes the focus of the investigation: Alex Pohl, who has a prior conviction for theft. But Paul's best friend, Milan Jovanovic, is also under suspicion—the two had a heated argument on the night of the crime. Paul had also clashed with Steffi Maibaum, one of his mother's employees.

Ultimately, an observation made by Hanna provides Jasmin and her team with the crucial lead, uncovering the tragic end of a dream.

When the body of retiree Günther Puschke is found near the Glienicke Bridge, it initially appears to be an accident. However, forensic pathologist Dr. Dillinger discovers that the elderly man died from an overdose of sedatives.

Since Günther Puschke was registered at a senior residence in Brandenburg, Jasmin calls in her colleague Axel Sommer, who knows the Parkaue residence all too well. His father, Kurt Sommer, also lives there and complicates the investigation with his tall tales.

It soon emerges that the victim, Günther Puschke, once worked as a "Romeo agent" for the Ministry for State Security. According to the residence director Julian Tietz, Axel's father and Puschke had been constantly at odds, with the source of their disputes being the newcomer Rosemarie Schindler.

Axel, in turn, suspects medical student Lara Kolle, who teaches yoga at the residence. Puschke had mentioned to her that he was very wealthy. Was this the reason he had to die?

When Police Commissioner Alexandra Falkenbach sets out on a boat tour of Lake Wannsee with her grandson Moritz, the eleven-year-old suddenly disappears without a trace at the marina. It quickly becomes clear that he has been kidnapped. Jasmin and her team immediately launch a search.

Jonas Pietschmann is found seriously injured on the office ship of the shipping company Bernd Pietschmann and is admitted to the hospital with a severe traumatic brain injury. Apparently, he was attacked there during the night. When Hanna and Fahri go to inform the family about the assault, they learn that Jonas's relationship with his family had been very strained recently—due to the inheritance from his father.

Tobias Keller, the production manager of a film crew, is found murdered near his film set. The circle of suspects is quickly narrowed down—at the time of the crime, only four members of the crew were still on site, and all had a motive. After filming wrapped, a physical altercation occurred during an evening drink between Keller and chief lighting technician Ingo Naumann. The cause was a serious accident involving the Syrian-born lighting technician Djamal Khadur a few days earlier.

On the Havel River, the motorboat of the well-known conspiracy theorist Leonard Kofel explodes. A delicate case for the Water Police, as Kofel's internet channel "Wahrheit Rigoros" has not exactly earned him friends.

Leonard Kofel's new girlfriend, Dina Finkenwald, who is seven weeks pregnant, immediately suspects an attack. His twin brother, Robert Kofel, who worked with him on "Wahrheit Rigoros," is also shocked.

Investigations confirm that the explosion was caused by an explosive device. During the inquiry, it emerges that Kofel's internet channel was funded by a shady company called "HVX Limited." But who is really behind "HVX Limited"?