One of France’s most terrifying criminals in history, Joseph Vacher, left a trail of death and horror across the countryside in the late 19th century.
Vacher, nicknamed the "French Jack the Ripper," murdered at least 11 people and possibly as many as 50 between 1894 and 1897 before being captured and executed by guillotine in 1898, the Daily Mail reported.
Born in the quiet southeastern town of Beaufort, Vacher was the second youngest of 16 children in a poor farming family. His father, an illiterate farmer, struggled to raise a large family. As a young boy, Vacher was described by those who knew him as a quiet child.
At some point in his youth, Vacher was bitten by a wild dog. Following the incident, he was treated by a local herbalist. During his trial, his defense team would later claim that this bite had a significant psychological impact and was linked to his sudden violent outbursts.
Vacher’s behavior changed rapidly. He once fired a rifle at boys who had mocked him, and on another occasion,n tried to strangle his brother for refusing to do chores. These disturbing signs marked the beginning of a long descent into violence.
At 15, Vacher was sent to a strict boarding school in an attempt to control his behavior. However, he was expelled within two years amid allegations that he tortured animals, adding new weight to the concerns about his mental state.
Vacher joined the French Army in 1890, seeking discipline and structure. Instead, this period of his life was marked by more violence. He fell in love with a woman named Louise Barrand, but when she rejected him, he attempted to kill her.
He shot Barrand three times and then turned the gun on himself, firing two shots into his head in a failed suicide attempt. Though he survived, the attack left one side of his face paralyzed and caused visible disfigurement that followed him for the rest of his life.
He later claimed in court that the ridicule he received due to his altered appearance strengthened his bitterness toward society. After the shooting, he was declared insane and committed to a mental institution.
Though previously deemed mentally unfit and excused from prosecution for the attempted murder of Barrand, Vacher's time in care was shockingly brief. He was pronounced "completely cured" after three months in a state hospital and released in 1894.
It was after this point that Vacher began his notorious killing spree. Over the next three years, he roamed France as a vagrant and preyed on vulnerable individuals, including young boys and local farmers. His crimes were especially horrific, often involving rape and multiple stab wounds.
Authorities confirmed at least 11 victims, though some believed the actual number may have been as high as 50. His disturbing acts shocked both rural towns and cities alike, creating national panic at the time.
In 1897, Vacher's killing spree came to an end when he attacked a woman. Her screams drew the attention of her husband and local neighbors, who came to her rescue and struck Vacher unconscious.
He was detained in a shed until police arrived and took him into custody for attempted rape. Once under investigation, Vacher confessed to 11 brutal murders across different regions in France. The scope of his crimes became clearer with each interrogation.
During his trial, Vacher's defense repeated the claim that the dog bite in his childhood had damaged his mental health. His lawyers also said his earlier life had been calm before the bite, pointing to a supposed turning point in his behavior.
A team of court-appointed doctors evaluated Vacher and ultimately declared him sane. This conclusion allowed prosecutors to push for the maximum punishment under the law. The court found him guilty of murder in 1898.
That same year, he was executed by guillotine. The trial and execution marked the conclusion of one of the most chilling criminal cases in French history. The public remained deeply affected by the sheer brutality of his crimes.
Joseph Vacher’s story continued to haunt the nation long after his death. With comparisons to Britain’s Jack the Ripper, his name became synonymous with madness and unchecked violence. Over a century later, his case is still studied as one of the earliest major examples of serial killing in Europe.
