Thierry Paulin
Encyclopedia
Thierry Paulin was a French
serial killer
active in the 1980s.
. His father flew to France just after his birth, leaving his teen-aged mother to fend for herself and the baby. Paulin was raised in Martinique by his paternal grandmother, who owned a restaurant and allegedly paid little attention to her grandson. When he was ten, Paulin started to live with his now married mother, trying to blend in with his stepbrothers and sisters. His behavior started to become erratic and violent towards the other children, and eventually his mother asked his father to take their son to France. His father accepted in order to avoid paying alimony
.
As a mixed-race student among white peers, Paulin had few friends, and performed poorly at school, failing his exams. At the age of 17, he decided to enter military service early, joining the parachutists' troops; however, his fellow soldiers disdained him for his race and homosexuality
.
On November 14, 1982, he robbed an old woman in her grocery, menacing her with a knife; the grocer knew him as a client, however, and he was soon arrested. In June 1983, he was sentenced to two years of jail, but the sentence was suspended ("avec sursis"), allowing Paulin to remain free.
, a northern suburb of Paris
. He went there to live with them, but his relationship was hostile.
Paulin became a waiter at the Paradis Latin
, a night-club renowned for its transvestite shows. There, he started a career as an artist, dressed in drag
and singing tunes by his favourite singer, Eartha Kitt
. His mother was once invited to watch her son's performance, but she left the club a few seconds after the beginning of the act.
The most important event that happened to Paulin at the Paradis Latin
was meeting Jean-Thierry Mathurin. The 19-year-old Mathurin was born in French Guyana, and was a drug addict. Paulin fell in love with him and they soon became lovers. Paulin was also addicted, but less severely, and sold drugs as well.
On October 5, 1984, two elderly women were assault
ed in Paris. Germaine Petitot, 91, survived but was too traumatized
to give a detailed description of the criminals. Anna Barbier-Ponthus, 83, died after being beaten and asphyxiated beneath a pillow. Her murderer robbed her of 300 franc
s (about $50).
In October-November 1984, eight other old women were murdered, mainly in the 18th precinct of Paris, but in neighboring precincts too. The violence of the crimes was horrific; some of the victims had their heads stuck into plastic bags, some were beaten to death, and one of them was forced to drink drain cleaner. In all cases, the motive appeared to be robbery. Some reports allege that Paulin singled out women who seemed unpleasant or unfriendly when he engaged them in conversation, while Paulin himself told police that "I only tackled the weakest of them."
At the same time, Paulin and Mathurin were leading an extravagant lifestyle, spending their nights dancing, drinking champagne, and snorting cocaine
. In late November, they decided to go to Toulouse to stay for a few months at the home of Paulin's father. But the elder Paulin was unable to accept his son's lover, and violent fights ensued, ending when Paulin and Mathurin broke up. Mathurin returned to Paris, while Paulin tried to start his own firm of transvestite artists, a plan which failed in autumn 1985.
evidence
that the perpetrator was the same individual who committed the 1984 murders. However, in the new murders, the killer appeared to favor quicker, less cruel methods.
In the autumn of 1986, Paulin attacked one of his cocaine dealers with a baseball bat. The dealer went to the police, and Paulin was arrested. Paulin was sentenced to 16 months of jail for the assault, spending one year in Fresnes prison. Upon his release, Paulin knew himself to be HIV-positive.
, Paulin organized lavish parties, spending a lot of money and sparing no expense. Paulin paid for these parties with stolen credit card
s and checks, and with the proceeds from his murders.
On November 25, 1987, Paulin murdered Rachel Cohen, age 79. On the same day, he attacked an 87-year-old woman, Berthe Finalteri, whom he suffocated and left for dead. Two days later, he strangled Genevieve Germont, who would be his last victim.
As Paulin celebrated his 24th birthday, Madame Finalteri unexpectedly recovered, and was able to give an accurate description of her attacker, stating that he was "un métis d'une vingtaine d'année coiffée à la Carl Lewis
, avec une boucle d'oreille gauche" (literally "a mongrel in his twenties, with hair like Carl Lewis and a buckle (earring) in his left ear"). On December 1, Paulin was arrested while walking down the street when a local police inspector, Francis Jacob, recognized him from Madame Finalteri's description. After two days in custody, Paulin admitted everything, including his involvement with Mathurin. Accused of committing 18 murders (though he claimed responsibility for 21), he was sent to jail awaiting trial.
In early 1988, Paulin fell ill, as his body began to succumb to the effects of AIDS. Within a year he was hospitalized in a state of near-paralysis
, suffering from both tuberculosis
and meningitis
. He died during the night of April 16, 1989, in the hospital wing of Fresnes prison.
Only Mathurin was tried for the first nine attacks and murders, receiving a life sentence, plus 18 years without parole
. He was incarcerated until January 2009, while technically, Thierry Paulin was never convicted of the murders of which he was accused.
(Chocolat (1988 film)
, No Fear No Die) was based on the Paulin case.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
active in the 1980s.
Childhood and teenage years
Paulin was born in Fort-de-France, MartiniqueFort-de-France
Fort-de-France is the capital of France's Caribbean overseas department of Martinique. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean. Exports include sugar, rum, tinned fruit, and cacao.-Geography:...
. His father flew to France just after his birth, leaving his teen-aged mother to fend for herself and the baby. Paulin was raised in Martinique by his paternal grandmother, who owned a restaurant and allegedly paid little attention to her grandson. When he was ten, Paulin started to live with his now married mother, trying to blend in with his stepbrothers and sisters. His behavior started to become erratic and violent towards the other children, and eventually his mother asked his father to take their son to France. His father accepted in order to avoid paying alimony
Alimony
Alimony is a U.S. term denoting a legal obligation to provide financial support to one's spouse from the other spouse after marital separation or from the ex-spouse upon divorce...
.
As a mixed-race student among white peers, Paulin had few friends, and performed poorly at school, failing his exams. At the age of 17, he decided to enter military service early, joining the parachutists' troops; however, his fellow soldiers disdained him for his race and homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
.
On November 14, 1982, he robbed an old woman in her grocery, menacing her with a knife; the grocer knew him as a client, however, and he was soon arrested. In June 1983, he was sentenced to two years of jail, but the sentence was suspended ("avec sursis"), allowing Paulin to remain free.
From Toulouse to Paris
In 1984, after leaving the army, Paulin learned that his mother and her family now lived in NanterreNanterre
Nanterre is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located west of the center of Paris.Nanterre is the capital of the Hauts-de-Seine department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Nanterre....
, a northern suburb of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He went there to live with them, but his relationship was hostile.
Paulin became a waiter at the Paradis Latin
Paradis Latin
The Paradis Latin is a theater at number 28, rue du Cardinal Lemoine, in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The closest métro stations are Cardinal Lemoine and Jussieu. It was first built in 1803 and was initially called Théâtre Latin. It burned down but was rebuilt in 1887-1889 by Gustave Eiffel. It was...
, a night-club renowned for its transvestite shows. There, he started a career as an artist, dressed in drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
and singing tunes by his favourite singer, Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
. His mother was once invited to watch her son's performance, but she left the club a few seconds after the beginning of the act.
The most important event that happened to Paulin at the Paradis Latin
Paradis Latin
The Paradis Latin is a theater at number 28, rue du Cardinal Lemoine, in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The closest métro stations are Cardinal Lemoine and Jussieu. It was first built in 1803 and was initially called Théâtre Latin. It burned down but was rebuilt in 1887-1889 by Gustave Eiffel. It was...
was meeting Jean-Thierry Mathurin. The 19-year-old Mathurin was born in French Guyana, and was a drug addict. Paulin fell in love with him and they soon became lovers. Paulin was also addicted, but less severely, and sold drugs as well.
On October 5, 1984, two elderly women were assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
ed in Paris. Germaine Petitot, 91, survived but was too traumatized
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
to give a detailed description of the criminals. Anna Barbier-Ponthus, 83, died after being beaten and asphyxiated beneath a pillow. Her murderer robbed her of 300 franc
Franc
The franc is the name of several currency units, most notably the Swiss franc, still a major world currency today due to the prominence of Swiss financial institutions and the former currency of France, the French franc until the Euro was adopted in 1999...
s (about $50).
In October-November 1984, eight other old women were murdered, mainly in the 18th precinct of Paris, but in neighboring precincts too. The violence of the crimes was horrific; some of the victims had their heads stuck into plastic bags, some were beaten to death, and one of them was forced to drink drain cleaner. In all cases, the motive appeared to be robbery. Some reports allege that Paulin singled out women who seemed unpleasant or unfriendly when he engaged them in conversation, while Paulin himself told police that "I only tackled the weakest of them."
At the same time, Paulin and Mathurin were leading an extravagant lifestyle, spending their nights dancing, drinking champagne, and snorting cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. In late November, they decided to go to Toulouse to stay for a few months at the home of Paulin's father. But the elder Paulin was unable to accept his son's lover, and violent fights ensued, ending when Paulin and Mathurin broke up. Mathurin returned to Paris, while Paulin tried to start his own firm of transvestite artists, a plan which failed in autumn 1985.
The second wave of murders
From December 20, 1985, to June 14, 1986, eight more old women were murdered. The police were unable to identify the killer, though the investigators had a few clues. Police determined through fingerprintFingerprint
A fingerprint in its narrow sense is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In a wider use of the term, fingerprints are the traces of an impression from the friction ridges of any part of a human hand. A print from the foot can also leave an impression of friction ridges...
evidence
Evidence
Evidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either presumed to be true, or were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's truth...
that the perpetrator was the same individual who committed the 1984 murders. However, in the new murders, the killer appeared to favor quicker, less cruel methods.
In the autumn of 1986, Paulin attacked one of his cocaine dealers with a baseball bat. The dealer went to the police, and Paulin was arrested. Paulin was sentenced to 16 months of jail for the assault, spending one year in Fresnes prison. Upon his release, Paulin knew himself to be HIV-positive.
The final countdown
Knowing that he was in effect under a death sentence from AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, Paulin organized lavish parties, spending a lot of money and sparing no expense. Paulin paid for these parties with stolen credit card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
s and checks, and with the proceeds from his murders.
On November 25, 1987, Paulin murdered Rachel Cohen, age 79. On the same day, he attacked an 87-year-old woman, Berthe Finalteri, whom he suffocated and left for dead. Two days later, he strangled Genevieve Germont, who would be his last victim.
As Paulin celebrated his 24th birthday, Madame Finalteri unexpectedly recovered, and was able to give an accurate description of her attacker, stating that he was "un métis d'une vingtaine d'année coiffée à la Carl Lewis
Carl Lewis
Frederick Carlton "Carl" Lewis is an American former track and field athlete, who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 gold, and 10 World Championships medals, of which 8 were gold. His career spanned from 1979 when he first achieved a world ranking to 1996 when he last won an Olympic title and...
, avec une boucle d'oreille gauche" (literally "a mongrel in his twenties, with hair like Carl Lewis and a buckle (earring) in his left ear"). On December 1, Paulin was arrested while walking down the street when a local police inspector, Francis Jacob, recognized him from Madame Finalteri's description. After two days in custody, Paulin admitted everything, including his involvement with Mathurin. Accused of committing 18 murders (though he claimed responsibility for 21), he was sent to jail awaiting trial.
In early 1988, Paulin fell ill, as his body began to succumb to the effects of AIDS. Within a year he was hospitalized in a state of near-paralysis
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
, suffering from both tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and meningitis
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
. He died during the night of April 16, 1989, in the hospital wing of Fresnes prison.
Only Mathurin was tried for the first nine attacks and murders, receiving a life sentence, plus 18 years without parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
. He was incarcerated until January 2009, while technically, Thierry Paulin was never convicted of the murders of which he was accused.
Film references
The 1994 movie J'ai pas sommeil (I Can't Sleep), by director Claire DenisClaire Denis
Claire Denis is a French film director and Professor of Film at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland.-Early life:...
(Chocolat (1988 film)
Chocolat (1988 film)
Chocolat is a 1988 film directed by Claire Denis, about a French family that lives in colonial Cameroon. Marc and Aimée Dalens are the parents of France , a young girl who befriends Protée , a Cameroon native who is the family's household servant...
, No Fear No Die) was based on the Paulin case.