Marcel Petiot

[Versa]

Ive just finished reading a very interesting book about the French serial killer Marcel Petiot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Petiot

I couldnt find anything on the forums about him so thought I'd add his name to the list of serial killers...

He was active in occupied Paris during WW2 and admitted to killing 20+ people but he would appear to of killed a vast amount more (over 60 and possibly into the hundreds).

He is of interest to me because he was apparently happily married and seems to of evaded capture several times. Some people are born with the 'gift of the gab' and Petiot was clearly one of them....

He seems to of created a false escape network for Jews and enemies of the Gestapo. While he offered escape to south america what he in fact did was murder and dissect his victims whilst accumulating a vast fortune...

He reminds me of both HH Holmes and Denis Radar... Im interested to see what other people think of him and how he adds to the diversity of serial killer MO's, lives and personalities...

[sdreid]

Yes, he was a particularly creepy sociopath in the vein of Holmes; taking advantage of a war as cover to further his lust to kill. I don't believe that his financial gain was a motive, only a fringe benefit. Politically, I doubt that he really cared who won the war. I would like to see the movie at some future date - has anyone seen it?

[kidtwist]

In addition to the recently published book about him, there's also The Unspeakable Crimes of Dr. Petiot by Thomas Maeder. I'd be interested in hearing how the books compare. I've only read the Maeder one.

He was one of those schemers, the kind who seek to acquire property by any means they can. He also seems to be one of those psychopaths who face their deaths with great courage, even gaining the admiration of the their captors. I'm thinking specifically of Theo Durrant ("the girl in the belfry" case), and Joseph Vacher, but there are others I can't recall now.

[mariab]

I only knew about Petiot the French Revolutionary (from the 18th/19th century).

[Mayerling]

Yes, he was a particularly creepy sociopath in the vein of Holmes; taking advantage of a war as cover to further his lust to kill. I don't believe that his financial gain was a motive, only a fringe benefit. Politically, I doubt that he really cared who won the war. I would like to see the movie at some future date - has anyone seen it?

Hi all,

It is a fascinating case with a really interesting villain. Politically he was a self-proclaimed socialist, and (similar to John Wayne Gacy) he ran for office - unlike Gacy (more like the Australian Thomas Ley) he won office. He was a mayor and a member of the Chambre of Deputies. However, I tend to feel he would have not cared one way or another about who ran the government of France.

Usually he is compared to his World War I predecessor, Henri Desire Landru, who used the confusion of First War Paris to hide his murders of 10 women and one boy in his "Matremonial" Column killings. He had a wit like Landru too - a bit more pointed at times. In the 1930s he had committed some insurance based killings, and one of his victims had been given a run of the mill examination before the man was killed and the claim sent in. The insurance company sent a sharp response about not being thoroughly satisfied with the examination, much to his annoyance. He sent back a multi-page report showing all sorts details regarding the deceased, including a remarkably accurate measurement of his private parts!! This time the insurance company paid.

Jeff