Joseph Vacher: The Serial Killer Who Terrorized 19th Century France

Joseph Vacher, a serial killer who confessed to at least 11 murders, was executed by guillotine in 1898. Despite this, his name is not widely known.

Born in 1869, Vacher displayed delinquent behavior from an early age. At the age of 25, he committed his first murder, and in the next three years, he murdered a total of 11 people.

He was arrested in 1897 after an attempted sexual assault. In the ensuing trial, he was accused of at least 50 murders. He declared himself an "anarchist and opposed to society," while his lawyer attributed his behavior to a rabid dog bite.

According to Douglas Starr, author of "The Killer of Little Shepherds," a romantic disappointment triggered his killing spree. Vacher was in love with a woman who did not reciprocate his feelings. After this, he attempted to kill her and commit suicide.

Starr explains that Vacher's arrest is the reason his name is absent from lists of the worst serial killers. Unlike Jack the Ripper, Vacher's identity was known.