Marcel Petiot: A Serial Killer in Nazi Paris
Marcel Petiot is one of the most prolific serial killers that operated during World War II.
Image: Dr. Marcel Petiot in court | A Serial Killer in Nazi Paris
World War II was a dark time in human history, known for being the deadliest conflict in the history of mankind. Human losses in the war are estimated to be between 70 and 85 million, with millions dying in the Holocaust.
One factor that is often overlooked as a cause of death during the war is murder. Opportunistic killers used the chaos of war to commit various atrocities in the shadows.
One of these individuals was Marcel Petiot, a French doctor who is thought to have murdered between around 60 and 200 people during World War II. A Serial Killer in Nazi Paris, available from Sunday, 4th May on Sky HISTORY, tells the shocking story of Dr. Marcel Petiot.
Join us here at Sky HISTORY as we dive deeper into the crimes of serial killer Marcel Petiot, a notorious murderer in Nazi occupied Paris.
The early life of Marcel Petiot
Marcel Petiot was born in north central France on 17th January 1897. During his early years, he was involved in petty crime, such as damaging public property and robbing a postbox. He was expelled from school numerous times. At age 11, he took his father’s gun to school with him and fired it in class. He also propositioned another 11-year-old for sex.
In 1914, Petiot underwent a psychiatric evaluation due to his behaviour and his criminal charges. He was diagnosed with a mental illness, so the charges were dropped.
World War I
Despite these issues, Petiot was accepted into the French Army when he volunteered to fight in World War I. He was put through a range of rest homes after suffering a mental breakdown when he was gassed and wounded.
He was once again in trouble after trying to steal military blankets, morphine and other supplies. He was found guilty on the grounds of insanity, and admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Fleury-les-Aubrais.
While there, he was diagnosed with even more mental illnesses, but still returned to the front lines in 1918. He was eventually discharged and given a disability pension.
Becoming a doctor
Petiot went into medical school via an accelerated education program designed specifically for veterans following the war. Due to this program, he completed medical school in eight months. He then began working as an intern at a mental hospital in Évreux. It seemed like Petiot was finally on the right path in life, as he studied hard and earned his medical degree in December 1921.
This straight and narrow behaviour did not last long. After graduating, he relocated to Villeneuve-sur-Yonne. He started using narcotics and earned a reputation for his medical practices, some of which included illegal abortions and stealing from patients.
Despite this, Petiot became mayor in 1926. He was removed from office in 1931 due to his dubious behaviour, leading to him relocating to Paris in 1933. He continued his crimes in the medical field, but his behaviour became all the more disturbing when World War II started.
A Serial Killer in Nazi Paris
Petiot’s serial killing began with the rise of persecuted individuals trying to flee from Nazi occupied Paris. Petiot decided to take advantage of those vulnerabilities by concocting a lucrative but diabolical plan.
Pretending that he was a member of the French Resistance named 'Dr. Eugène', Petiot offered safe passage to South America via an escape network in his house. The truth was that no such network existed.
Petiot first took money from his victims, and then murdered them when they arrived at his home. He then took any valuables they had on them.
Petiot used his medical knowledge to kill his victims. He injected them with cyanide under the premise of necessary inoculations.
After taking their money and valuables, Petiot then dumped their bodies in the River Seine.
In March 1944, neighbours alerted the police when a horrific odor began to emanate from Petiot’s home. The police and firemen entered his home and discovered bodies and body parts strewn everywhere.
Vats of quicklime were found in the garage, as was an incinerator filled with bones and limbs. 27 victims were found, but it is thought that he could have killed many more.
The trial and execution of Marcel Petiot
Petiot went on trial with 135 criminal charges in March 1946. He attempted to maintain a facade that he was a Resistance fighter who had killed enemies of France. This went unheard, and he was sentenced to death by guillotine. Petiot was executed on 25th May 1946 at the age of 49.
The warning signs of Marcel Petiot’s instability seemed to have been there from a young age. His greed may have led him down the path of murder, but his willingness to take advantage of the desperate and the vulnerable is particularly sinister.
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