The Papin Sisters: A Tale of Murder, Madness and Sisterly Love?
/Author’s Note: Like today’s traditional romance books, I use humour but, I can also take you down a darker path (know what I mean ladies? *wink*) TW: abuse, neglect, murder, etc. Be forewarned.
The Papin sisters after their arrest. Christine is on the left and Lea is on the right.
In the annals of true crime history, few cases are as chilling and perplexing as the story of the Papin sisters. In 1933, Christine and Léa Papin plead guilty to a gruesome double murder. Revealing a dark tale of abuse, madness, and repressed emotions. The criminal case of the Papin sisters remains a hauntingly tragic story which archives the devastating consequences of a troubled past.
Born into a working-class family in the small town of Le Mans, France, in the early 1900s, their lives were marked by hardships and unrelenting mental and physical abuse at the hands of their parents. Their childhood left deep scars forcing their relationship with each other to become a refuge from the outside world.
Their mother sent them to Bon Pasteur Catholic Orphanage, which was known for its discipline. During Christine's time at the orphanage, she received the calling to become a nun. Her mother forbade this, instead placing her in employment. Christine had been trained in various household duties in the convent, easing her into becoming a live-in maid. Unsatisfied with their pay, their mother forced them to seek better-paid opportunities.
In 1926, they were hired as live-in maids by the Lancelin family. The family consisted of René and Léonie Lancelin and their adult daughter, Geneviève. Some years after they started working for the family, Léonie developed depression and the Papins became the target of her mental illness. She began to scrutinize their work. There were various occasions of her reportedly physically assaulting them and the abuse worsened: at its peak she would slam the sisters' heads against the wall.
TRIGGER WARNING: IMAGE OF MURDER VICTIMS
FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPH OF THE CRIME SCENE.
The tension in the Lancelin household reached a boiling point on the night of February 2, 1933. What happened that night remains the subject of debate, but some sources say that René was to meet Léonie and Genevieve for dinner at the home of a family friend after the two went shopping. When they returned home the sisters explained to Léonie that a power outage had been caused by Christine plugging in a faulty iron. Léonie became irritated and attacked the sisters on the first-floor landing. Christine lunged at Genevieve and gouged her eyes out. Léa joined in the struggle and attacked Léonie, gouging her eyes out as ordered by Christine. Christine ran downstairs and retrieved a knife and a hammer. At some point, one of the sisters grabbed a heavy pewter pitcher and used it to strike the heads of both the women. In the midst of the rage, they mutilated the buttocks and thighs of the victims. Seriously folks, I’m giving you a glimpse into how deeply these two snapped.
When René arrived at his friend's home, he found that his family was not there. He immediately returned home to find the front door bolted shut from the inside, leaving him unable to enter the house. Frantic, he then went to a local police station to summon help from an officer. The policeman made entry into the home by climbing over the garden wall.
Once inside, he found the bodies of Léonie and Genevieve. Thinking that the Papin sisters had met the same fate, the policeman continued upstairs only to find the door to their room locked. After the officer knocked but received no response, he summoned a locksmith to open the door. Inside the room, he found the sisters naked in bed together, and a bloody hammer on a chair nearby. Under questioning, the sisters immediately confessed to the killing, in self defense.
The sisters' lawyers argued that they were driven to madness by the oppressive working conditions and the abuse they suffered at the hands of the Lancelin family. Their actions, they maintained, were a result of years of pent-up anger and childhood trauma. The court ultimately found them guilty of the murders. Léa, thought to be under the influence of her older sister, was given a 10-year sentence. Christine was initially sentenced to death at the guillotine, although that sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. But soon she began to starve herself and died as a result in 1937.
The case of the Papin sisters is a haunting and tragic chapter in the annals of true crime. Their lives were marked by hardship and abuse, leading to a horrifying crime that shocked France. The story of sisters continues to raise questions about the limits of human endurance and the devastating consequences of a troubled past. It serves as a cautionary tale, reminding us of the importance of recognizing and addressing issues of abuse and mistreatment in the workplace, and the far-reaching impact of repressed emotions and unresolved trauma.
Hi, my name is Abby Wallingford. I’m currently in my second year in Professional Writing at Algonquin College. I have always been interested in reading and writing. Ever since I was young I have been coming up with ideas and writing them down, even making edits to books I would read in attempts to “make them better”. If I’m not dreaming up a new plot or world for a book, I’m dreaming of traveling to the historic places where my inspiration stems from. I’m fascinated with all things history and mythology and can’t wait to share these grim and grotesque stories of the past with you.
