Complete List of French Serial Killers

While most of the time, we speak about serial killers from the United States; today we will be covering the serial killers who have come from the land of baguettes and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Below you will find a complete list of French serial killers, so keep reading to learn about the worst that France has to offer!

Vincenzo Aiutino

Birth Date: March 10, 1970
Number of Victims: 3
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 1991 – 1992

Quick Summary of Crimes: Known as “the man with fifty affairs,” Vincenzo Aiutino was born in Switzerland and strangled three women in Meurthe-et-Moselle.

Patrice Alégre

Birth Date: June 20, 1968
Number of Victims: 5
Current Status: Sentenced to life imprisonment
Years Active: 1989 – 1997

Quick Summary of Crimes: Patrice Alégre strangled and raped five women in Paris and Toulouse with his murders causing people to accuse the local law enforcement of a coverup.

Madame de Brinvilliers

Birth Date: July 22, 1630
Number of Victims: 3
Current Status: Executed 1676
Years Active: 1666 – 1670

Quick Summary of Crimes: Born into the aristocracy, Madame de Brinvilliers poisoned her two brothers and father to inherit their wealth and estates after their deaths.

Marcel Barbeault

Birth Date: August 10, 1941
Number of Victims: 8
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 1969 – 1976

Quick Summary of Crimes: Marcel Barbeault was known as “The Shadow Killer” because he committed his brutal murders during the early morning and late nighttime.

Ludivine Chambet

Birth Date: May 10, 1983
Number of Victims: 10
Current Status: 24 Years Imprisonment
Years Active: 2012 – 2013

Quick Summary of Crimes: Ludivine Chambet was an Angel of Death and murdered elderly people in a retirement home via antidepressants.

Pierre Chanal

Birth Date: November 18, 1946
Number of Victims: 8 (Confirmed); 17 (Possible)
Current Status: Committed Suicide Awaiting Trial
Years Active: 1980 – 1988

Quick Summary of Crimes: Pierre Chanal had been a soldier in the French army and raped and murdered as many as 17 young men before being caught in 1988.

Dominque Cottrez

Birth Date: Unknown
Number of Victims: 8
Current Status: 9 Years Imprisonment
Years Active: 1989 – 2006

Quick Summary of Crimes: Dominque Cottrez murdered eight of her own children shortly after they were born by suffocation.

Casimir Dankerque

Birth Date: 1904
Number of Victims: 4
Current Status: Executed 1936
Years Active: 1935

Quick Summary of Crimes: Known as “The Monster of Artois,” Casimir Dankerque murdered four elderly people after breaking into their homes and robbing them.

Martin Dumollard

Birth Date: June 22, 1810
Number of Victims: 3
Current Status: Executed 1862
Years Active: 1855 – 1861

Quick Summary of Crimes: Martin Dumollard became known as “The Maid Killer” because he robbed and attacked multiple maids in Ain and Lyon, ultimately murdering three.

Thierry El Borgi

Birth Date: Unknown
Number of Victims: 4
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 1989

Quick Summary of Crimes: Along with three of his buddies, Thierry El Borgi murdered a conservation officer and three women near the 101 Toulouse-Francazal Air Base.

Micheal Fourniret

Birth Date: April 4, 1942
Number of Victims: 8 (Confirmed); 12+ (Possible)
Current Status: Died in Prison
Years Active: 1987 – 2003

Quick Summary of Crimes: Known as the “Ogre of the Ardennes,” Michael Fourniret and his wolf kidnapped, raped, and murdered young girls.

Véronique Frantz

Birth Date: 1825
Number of Victims: 3
Current Status: Executed 1854
Years Active: 1852 – 1854

Quick Summary of Crimes: Véronique Frantz poisoned the wife and mother-in-law of her employee to become his mistress and then murdered him in the same way after he revealed he planned to remarry.

Gilles Garnier

Birth Date: January 18, 1573
Number of Victims: 4
Current Status: Executed 1573
Years Active: 1572 – 1573

Quick Summary of Crimes: Known as “The Hermit of St Bonnet” and “The Werewolf of Dole,” Gilles Garnier was burned at the stake as the villagers believed he was a werewolf.

Guy Georges

Birth Date: October 15, 1962
Number of Victims: 7
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 1991 – 1997

Quick Summary of Crimes: After murdering and raping women in Bastille, Guy Georges became known as the “The Beast of Bastille.”

Jacquy Haddouche

Birth Date: February 19, 1964
Number of Victims: 3
Current Status: Died in Prison
Years Active: 1992 – 2002

Quick Summary of Crimes: Jacquy Haddouche was a career criminal who had been in prison for multiple crimes before finally being caught in 2002 for the murders of three women.

Francis Heaulme

Birth Date: February 25, 1959
Number of Victims: 9 (Confirmed); 9+ (Possible)
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 1992 – 2002

Quick Summary of Crimes: Spreading his crimes across all of France, Francis Heaulme became known as “The Criminal Backpacker.”

Hélène Jégado

Birth Date:
Number of Victims: 3 (Confirmed); 36 (Possible)
Current Status: Executed 1852
Years Active: 1833 – 1851

Quick Summary of Crimes: Working as a domestic servant, Hélène Jégado murdered nearly as many as 36 people by poisoning them with arsenic.

Yvan Keller

Birth Date: December 13, 1960
Number of Victims: 23 (Confirmed); 40 – 150 (Possible)
Current Status: Committed Suicide While Awaiting Trial
Years Active: 1989 – 2006

Quick Summary of Crimes: Yvan Keller, known as “The Pillow Killer,” murdered 23 people, but possibly as high as 150, by smothering them with pillows.

Pierre Lagrée

Birth Date: November 20, 1896
Number of Victims: 4 (Confirmed); 6 (Possible)
Current Status: Executed 1916
Years Active: 1915 – 1916

Quick Summary of Crimes: Pierre Lagrée was a French soldier who murdered four people across two months after robbing them.

Henri Désiré Landru

Birth Date: April 12, 1869
Number of Victims: 11 (Confirmed); 11+ (Possible)
Current Status: Executed 1922
Years Active: 1915 – 1919

Quick Summary of Crimes: Named “The Bluebeard of Gambais,” Henri Désiré Landru murdered his lovers and mistresses and would inspire the film Monsieur Verdoux.

Claude Lastennet

Birth Date: January 19, 1971
Number of Victims: 5
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 1993 – 1994

Quick Summary of Crimes: Claude Lastennet murdered five elderly women via strangulation.

David Lefèvre

Birth Date: May 17, 1980
Number of Victims: 3
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 1999 – 2011

Quick Summary of Crimes: David Lefèvre murdered two acquaintances and dumped their bodies in nearby swamps, earning the title “The Swamp Killer.”

Celine Lesage

Birth Date: 1971
Number of Victims: 6
Current Status: 15 Years Imprisonment
Years Active: 2000 – 2007

Quick Summary of Crimes: Celine Lesage suffocated four of her newborn children and strangled two others, dumping the bodies in her basement.

Émile Louis

Birth Date: January 21, 1934
Number of Victims: 7
Current Status: Died in Prison
Years Active: 1975 – 1980

Quick Summary of Crimes: Emile Louis murdered 7 handicapped women in Yonne.

Christine Malèvre

Birth Date: January 10, 1970
Number of Victims: 30
Current Status: 10 Years Imprisonment
Years Active: 1997 – 1998

Quick Summary of Crimes: An Angel of Death, Christine Malèvre murdered 30 of her patients who were terminally ill and stated they wanted it, even though the families denied that fact.

Albert Millet

Birth Date: July 2, 1929
Number of Victims: 3
Current Status: Committed Suicide to Avoid Apprehension
Years Active: 1954 – 2007

Quick Summary of Crimes: Albert Millet committed three murders across a 50-year period, becoming known as “The Boar of the Moors,” and took his own life shortly after his third murder.

Catherine Monvoison

Birth Date: c. 1640
Number of Victims: 1000 (Confirmed); 2500+ (Possible)
Current Status: Executed 1680
Years Active: 17th Century

Quick Summary of Crimes: Catherine Montvoisin would become one of the most prolific serial killers, causing the deaths of at least 1000 people through her network of fortune tellers.

Rodica Negroiu

Birth Date: 1940
Number of Victims: 2 (Confirmed); 3 (Possible)
Current Status: Released in 2017
Years Active: 1982 – 2004

Quick Summary of Crimes: Rodica Negroiu murdered a retired French soldier and her second husband via digoxin and was also suspected of the death of her first husband.

Yoni Palmier

Birth Date: December 24, 1978
Number of Victims: 4
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 2011 – 2012

Quick Summary of Crimes: The perpetrator of the Essonne murders, Yoni Palmier, would be known as “The Killer of Essonne.”

Thierry Paulin

Birth Date: November 28th, 1963
Number of Victims: 18 (Confirmed); 21 (Possible)
Current Status: Died in Prison
Years Active: 1984 – 1987

Quick Summary of Crimes: Known as the “The Monster of Montmartre” and “The Grim Reaper of Paris,” Thierry Paulin murdered 21 elderly women before dying of AIDS shortly before his trial.

Michel Peiry

Birth Date: February 28th, 1959
Number of Victims: 5 (Confirmed); 11 (Possible)
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 1981 – 1987

Quick Summary of Crimes: Born in Switzerland, Michel Piery murdered five people in a brutal fashion, earning the name “The Sadist of Romont.”

Albert Pel

Birth Date: June 12, 1849
Number of Victims: 1 (Confirmed); 4 (Possible)
Current Status: Died in Prison
Years Active: 1872 – 1884

Quick Summary of Crimes: A watchmaker by trade, Albert Pel, “The Watchmaker of Montreuil,” poisoned his lovers and parents over a 12-year period.

Bernard Pesquet

Birth Date: March 18, 1922
Number of Victims: 7 (Confirmed); 7+ (Possible)
Current Status: Died in Prison
Years Active: 1941 – 1976

Quick Summary of Crimes: Known as “The Landru of Val-d’Oise,” Bernard Pesquet murdered his best friend in 1941 and then murdered six other people after being released from prison.

Marcel Petiot

Birth Date: January 17, 1897
Number of Victims: 27 (Confirmed); 63+ (Possible)
Current Status: Executed 1946
Years Active: 1926 – 1944

Quick Summary of Crimes: Marcel Petiot worked as a medical doctor until being arrested in 1944 when the remains of 23 people were found in his basement.

Baptistine Philip

Birth Date: Unknown
Number of Victims: 3
Current Status: Died in Prison
Years Active: 1871 – 1878

Quick Summary of Crimes: Baptistine Philip poisoned her husband, employer, and uncle-in-law with arsenic for money.

Louis Poirson

Birth Date: September 1962
Number of Victims: 4
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 1995 – 2000

Quick Summary of Crimes: Given the name “Rambo,” Louis Poirson raped and murdered four hitchhikers from 1995 – 2000.

Victor Prévost

Birth Date: December 11, 1836
Number of Victims: 2 (Confirmed); 4 (Possible)
Current Status: Executed 1880
Years Active: 1877 – 1879

Quick Summary of Crimes: A butcher, policeman, and cuirassier, Victor Prévost, also known as “The La Chapelle Butcher,” decapitated his victims to hide their identities.

Gilles de Rais

Birth Date: c. 1405
Number of Victims: 400 (Confirmed); 400+ (Possible)
Current Status: Executed 1440
Years Active: 15th-century

Quick Summary of Crimes: A French commander who fought alongside Joan of Arc, Gilles de Rais, murdered hundreds of children and was hanged in 1440 for his crimes.

Joseph Riaud

Birth Date: 1829
Number of Victims: 1 (Confirmed); 3 (Possible)
Current Status: Executed 1876
Years Active: 1860 – 1875

Quick Summary of Crimes: While only executed for the murder of his third wife, it is believed Joseph Riaud also murdered his previous two spouses in drunken rages.

Tommy Recco

Birth Date: May 10, 1934
Number of Victims: 7 (Confirmed); 10 (Possible)
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 1960 – 1980

Quick Summary of Crimes: Tommy Recco, “Geronimo,” murdered three cashiers alongside three other people, including an 11-year-old child.

Sid Ahmed Rezala

Birth Date:
Number of Victims: 3 (Confirmed); 3+ (Possible)
Current Status: Committed Suicide in Custody
Years Active: 1999

Quick Summary of Crimes: Born in Algeria, Sid Ahmed Rezala would move to France and murdered three women near train tracks, which earned him the name “The Killer of the Train Tracks.”

Luigi Richetto

Birth Date: March 22, 1853
Number of Victims: 4
Current Status: Died in Prison
Years Active: 1893 – 1899

Quick Summary of Crimes: Luigi Richetto came from Italy and dismembered three women and one man in Lyon after robbing them.

André Robini

Birth Date: April 29, 1928
Number of Victims: 3
Current Status: Unknown
Years Active: 1955 – 1956

Quick Summary of Crimes: While André Robini only murdered three elderly women, he would go on to assault between 40 and 50.

Rémy Roy

Birth Date: 1958
Number of Victims: 3
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 1990 – 1991

Quick Summary of Crimes: Rémy Roy murdered three homosexual men because of homophobia and became known as “The Minitel Killer.”

Patrick Salameh

Birth Date: April 21, 1957
Number of Victims: 4
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 2008

Quick Summary of Crimes: Causing the disappearances of women in Marseille, Patrick Salameh was nicknamed “The Marseille Ripper.”

Giuseppe Sasia

Birth Date: May 26, 1886
Number of Victims: 4 (Confirmed); 5+ (Possible)
Current Status: Executed 1936
Years Active: 1934

Quick Summary of Crimes: Stealing from and murdering four men, Giuseppe Sasia became known as “The Shepherd’s Killer” and was guillotined in 1936.

Antoinette Scieri

Birth Date: Unknown
Number of Victims: 12
Current Status: Died in Prison
Years Active: 1924 – 1926

Quick Summary of Crimes: Working as a private nurse, Antoinette Scieri poisoned 12 patients with the herbicide pyralion.

Nadir Sedrati

Birth Date: March 26, 1938
Number of Victims: 3 (Confirmed); 5 (Possible)
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 1999

Quick Summary of Crimes: Nadir Sedrait, also known as “The Canal Cutter,” dismembered three people and dumped their remains in the Marne-Rhine Canal.

Phillipe Siauve

Birth Date: Unknown
Number of Victims: 4
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 1989

Quick Summary of Crimes: Phillipe Siauve took part in the Francazal Murders alongside Thierry El Borgi.

Alfredo Stranieri

Birth Date: July 20, 1956
Number of Victims: 4
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 1997 – 1999

Quick Summary of Crimes: Presenting himself as a potential buyer of used cars or properties, Alfredo Stranieri, known as “The Classified Ad Killer,” murdered four people and appropriated their properties.

Roberto Succo

Birth Date: April 3, 1962
Number of Victims: 7
Current Status: Committed Suicide in Prison
Years Active: 1981 – 1988

Quick Summary of Crimes: Known as “The Monster of Mestre,” Roberto Succo murdered seven people and committed suicide before he could be tried.

Patrick Tissier

Birth Date:
Number of Victims: 3
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 1971 – 1993

Quick Summary of Crimes: An offender and rapist since childhood, Patrick Tissier, murdered three people and also likely raped them.

François Tomasini

Birth Date: 1880
Number of Victims: 3
Current Status: Executed 1914
Years Active: 1907 – 1913

Quick Summary of Crimes: After being released from prison after an earlier murder, François Tomasini committed a double murder in 1913 and was executed a year later.

Joseph Vacher

Birth Date: November 16, 1869
Number of Victims: 11 (Confirmed); 27+ (Possible)
Current Status: Executed 1898
Years Active: 1894 – 1897

Quick Summary of Crimes: A brutal murderer, Joseph Vacher, raped, dismembered, and disemboweled at least 11 people, earning him the title of “The French Ripper.”

François Vérove

Birth Date: January 22, 1962
Number of Victims: 4
Current Status: Committed Suicide Before any Apprehension
Years Active: 1986 – 1994

Quick Summary of Crimes: Known as “The Pockmarked Man,” François Vérove murdered and raped between 3 and 9 people. As he was about to be identified in 2021, he committed suicide to avoid incarceration.

Denis Waxin

Birth Date: May 26, 1968
Number of Victims: 3
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
Years Active: 1985 – 1992

Quick Summary of Crimes: A serial rapist and killer, Denis Waxin, murdered three girls and raped two boys and another girl.

Jeanne Weber

Birth Date: October 7, 1874
Number of Victims: 10 (Confirmed); 10+ (Possible)
Current Status: Committed Suicide in Prison
Years Active: 1905 – 1908

Quick Summary of Crimes: Jeanne Weber strangled 10 children, including her own, before hanging herself in 1918.

Eugen Weidmann

Birth Date: February 5, 1908
Number of Victims: 6
Current Status: Executed 1939
Years Active: 1937

Quick Summary of Crimes: Born in Germany, Eugen Weidmann murdered 6 people around Paris, including Jean de Koven, an American dancer.

Honoré Zanchi

Birth Date: May 4, 1962
Number of Victims: 4
Current Status: Sentenced to Life Imprisonment; Commuted to 30 Years
Years Active: 1992 – 2009

Quick Summary of Crimes: Honoré Zanchi would become known as “The Avenger” because he murdered four people who had hurt his friends in one way or another.