Joseph Vacher “The French Ripper”

Joseph Vacher was a son of a farmer.  He was sent to a Catholic school hoping that it will teach him to fear god and obey the teachings of the church.  He  eventually joined the army, but Vacher believed that he was not getting the promotion that he much deserve, Vacher committed taking his life for the first time by slitting his throat, but fortunately (or unfortunately) he survived.  He would then fell in love with a woman names Louise.  Louise was not in any way attracted to him. 

After he was dismissed from his military service, Joseph Vacher tried to court Louise again, this time going an extra mile by trying to propose to her.  But Louise was not impressed and even ridiculed his proposal.  Vacher then shot Louise and tried to commit suicide for the second time but both actions failed.  Louise and Vacher survived the incident.  But one of the bullets remained intact on Vacher’s head for the rest of his life.    The attempted suicide led to the paralysis of the other half of his face. 

After sometime, he would enter a mental institution to undergo a treatment for his mental disability.  The doctor would then pronounce that Vacher is already cured of his mental disease and free to roam around in public.  And that is when the series of nightmare started.

During his reign of terror, Vacher would kill an estimated 11 individuals (5 girls on their teenage years, 5 boys and a woman).  Most of his victims are shepherds.  His victims were found disemboweled, sodomized, stabbed numerous times and raped.  There are also accounts that the victims were found with a mark on their neck and a sign that their blood has been drained.  Vacher survived from day to day on the alms of those people who would show him a tinge of kindness who have no idea about his wrong doings.

1897 when he tried to attack a helpless woman, her screams alerted her husband and son who immediately run to the scene to help her.  The two of them empowered Vacher and they turned him over to the authority.  The police were unable to find connection to the death of 11 random people but Vacher confessed and took full responsibility of the murders.  He was tried, convicted and executed on the guillotine after two months.  Accounts said that Vacher refused to step on the scaffold thus the executioners hauled him to the guillotine.