Nico Claux; Paris’ Vampire

15th of November 1994 when the local officers of Parisiam arrested Nicolas Claux (22) outside of Moulin Rouge as a suspect for killing Thierry Bissonnier.  Thierry Bissonnier was murdered on October 4 and is only a part of a series of murders that happened on the area.  Seven of those suspected serial homosexual killings happen on the whole month of October alone.  Gilbert Thiel, the investigator firmly believed that each murder was connected and only one person is responsible for the killing spree.  Claux claimed that though Thiel is veteran on investigating high profile killing, he is not in any way prepared to witness the amount of crime he committed during a short time span.

What you are about to read next is a part of the real statement Nico Claux:

“Following my arrest I was taken back to the Parisian Crime Department for questioning. Unbeknownst to me, crime scene investigators were already in the process of exercising a search warrant on my apartment at 9 Rue Coustou. Inside they found a .22-caliber handgun under my bed, which they immediately sent off for ballistics tests. While they were probably not surprised to have found the pistol, they were almost certainly not prepared for the grisly scene that welcomed them. "Throughout my apartment, bone fragments and human teeth were scattered about like loose change; vertebras and leg bones hung from the ceiling like morbid mobiles, and hundreds of videocassettes, mostly slasher and hardcore S&M flicks, filled my shelves. One can only imagine what went through the minds of the investigators as they looked around my living quarters. On one wall hung a bullet-riddled target, while across the room sat a TV set with jars of human ashes resting on top of it. Several bondage magazines were piled in a far corner, and nearby my backpack was found, which contained handcuffs, surgical instruments and duct tape. In addition to my tastes and choice of decor, investigators also discovered several stolen blood bags inside of my refrigerator."

The ballistic test matches the confiscated pistol on the apartment of Nico Claux.  He admitted that he is the one responsible for the killing of Bissonnier.  Though the investigators were happy to solve the crime, they were still at awed at the amount of human remains found inside the apartment of Claux.  Claux further said:

 "With little hesitation on my part, I informed them that I had been robbing the graves of several Parisian gothic graveyards and mutilating the mummified remains. When asked the reason why I was storing stolen blood bags inside my refrigerator, I simply answered that I drank the blood on a regular basis. Working as a mortuary assistant for 10 months, I had been using my position as a means to fulfill a lifelong fantasy of mine revolving around cannibalism. When left alone to stitch the bodies after the autopsies, I would cut strips of meat from the ribs and eat them. On some occasions, I would bring pieces of flesh back to my place, where I would cook and eat those pieces as well."

The police were baffled on the idea that Nicolas Claux would rob the cemetery of corpses and eat them.  The answers can be found during the early childhood of Claux:

“My childhood was basically normal, except that I was very withdrawn and only had a few friends. I was a lonely child, lacking brothers and sisters to play with, so I spent most of my time alone in my room.
"While my parents were very kind and gave me everything that I needed, I never really felt a strong bond between us. They never hugged me or kissed me, they just let me be on my own most of the time. Eventually I grew emotionally cold. I had difficulties feeling empathy for other people, just indifference most of the time.
"This is the time when I also developed a fascination for death and the occult. I would spend hours reading books on vampires and werewolves. A photo of the statue of the Sumerian demon Pazuzu especially fascinated me. I found it in a book my parents had bought in England. For me, it symbolized something extremely ancient and powerful -- something that I respected. A few years later, I saw the same statue used in the movie Exorcist, and my interest in the occult grew stronger." 

Nicolas was found guilty and ordered for a 12 years imprisonment.  Nicolas Claux was released on prison in March 22, 2002.  His reputation as a serial killer grant him the monicker “Vampire of Paris”  giving him opportunities to be interviewed by large television networks, newspapers and an opportunity to sell his art works.