Dr. Satan: The Shocking Truth Behind Serial Killer Marcel Petiot

Most serial killers are in the U.S. but there are some seriously disturbed serial kilers that commit unspeakable crimes throughout the world. We'll explore the story of Dr. Marcel Petiot, aka Dr. Satan.

He was one of the WWII serial killers operating in France. We'll take you from his childhood, to when he completed medical school, became the mayor, then started committing multiple murders under the guise of operating with resistance fighters to help people escape to South America.

Let's start looking at this Dr. serial killer story.

Is Dr. Satan Real?

Yes Dr. Satan is real. The French serial killer doctor's name was Dr. Marcel Petiot. he was convicted of 26 murders and executed by guillotine.

There are also numerous Doctor Satan's in fictional stories including:

• Dr. Satan from the Rob Zombie movie House of 1000 Corpses.

• A villain created by Paul Ernst featured in Weird Tales. Get the full collection.

• Doctor Satan from the film Mysterious Doctor Satan or Doctor Satan's Robot

• Dr. Satan in Japanese Kagestar

Let's look more into the real Dr. Satan serial killer.

Who Is Dr Satan?

Doctor Satan is Marcel Petiot. He was born on January 17, 1897 in Auxerre, Yonne, France. From a young age Marcel Petiot showed signs of mental illness. He would get expelled for firing a gun at school and sexually harassing classmates.

Then he finally got in legal trouble for robbing a post box. This led to a psychological evaluation that found he suffered from mental illness and should not be tried.

On March 26, 1914, a second psychiatrist diagnosed Petiot as mentally ill.

Marcel Petiot continued to get expelled from schools but finally graduated After being expelled from school many times, he finished his education in a special academy in Paris in July 1915 based on the book Death in the City of Light.

World War I

Petiot served in the French Army during World War I and was wounded multiple times. The first injury was during the Second Battle of the Aisne. Afterwards, he showed signs of a mental breakdown.

He went to multiple rest homes, but was arrested for stealing army blankets, wallets, photos, letters, and morphine. He was jailed int the town of Orleans, then in a Fleury-les-Aubrais psychiatric hospital, before returning to war.

After three weeks he injured himself in the foot with either a grenade or a gun. Despite this Petiot was transferred to another division, but shortly thereafter got a new diagnosis that cause him to be discharged with a disability pension.

Marcel Petiot Gets A Medical Degree

After World War I, Petiot completed an accelerated education program intended for war veterans . He became an intern at the mental hospital in Évreux, and received his medical degree in December 1921.

Petiot began his medical career in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, where he had a reputation for dubious medical practices. He would collect payments from both government medical assistance funds and French citizens, perform illegal abortions, and overprescribing narcotics.

Marcel Petiot Becomes The Mayor

Petiot was elected mayor of Villeneuve-sur-Yonne in 1926 and later embezzled town funds. That same year the first suspected murder victim was Louise Delaveau, an elderly patient's daughter. who disappeared in May. Police investigated a report that Petiot loaded a trunk into his car around the same time as her disappearance, but dismissed it as a coincidence.

In 1927 Petiot married Georgette Lablais and their son Gerhardt was born in April 1928.

In March 1930, Henriette Debauve was found beaten to death in a burnt down house.

Monsieur Fiscot claimed to see Dr. Petiot leaving the house that night. Before Fiscot could testify he went to Petiot's office for his rheumatism, received an injection, and died three hours later. Petiot signed the death certificate and assigned the cause of death an aneurysm. That brings his likely kill count up to three.

In 1931 he was removed as mayor for stealing and the entire village council retired with him. Petiot ran for a council seat and won, but was convicted of stealing electricity and resigned that position too.

Petiot moved to Paris after being suspended as mayor in 1931 and continued his medical practice with a questionable reputation.

The French Doctor Kills Asylum Seekers During World War II

During the German occupation of France, Petiot operated a fraudulent escape network charging a fee for safe passage to those wanted by the Nazis. Most of the people who sought help were mainly Jews, partisans, and common criminals.

The serial killer Dr. Satan Marcel Petiot operated under the name "Dr. Eugene" and had three accomplices, Raoul Fourrier, Edmond Pintard, and René-Gustave Nézondet, who directed victims to Docteur Satan.

Petiot injected victims with cyanide under the pretense of providing vaccinations as part of his escape network. The doctor would inject them with cyanide, steal all their valuables and money. Finally Petiot dumped bodies in the Seine, burning them, or submerging them in calcium oxide.

Dr. Satan also acted as an informant for the U.S. during the time of Nazi occupied France. He was a source for The Pond, an unofficial intelligence agency, and helped the U.S. discover some of Germany's weapons manufacturing based on CIA documents.

Marcel Petiot's Victims

Police discovered human remains in Petiot's house on March 11, 1944 after neighbors reported a foul stench and smoke from the chimney. Police summoned firemen because they suspected a coal fire, but when they searched they found enough body parts for at least 10 people at the Marcel Petiot house.

He was suspected of killing up to 200 people but I was unable to find the names of more than 22.

Petiot was arrested on 31 October 1944 after being recognized in a Paris Metro station. Petiot was charged with 27 counts of murder and sentenced to death for 26 counts in 1946. He was executed by guillotine on 25 May 1946.

The various victims are listed below.

The Serial Killer's Confirmed Victims

1. François Albertini

2. Annette Basset

3. Dr. Paul-Léon Braunberger

4. Claudia Chamoux

5. Adriene Estébétéguy

6. Joséphine-Aimée Grippay

7. Joachim Guschinov

8. Nelly-Denise Hotin

9. Kurt Kneller

10. Margaret Kneller

11. René Kneller (Margaret's daughter)

12. Joseph Piereschi

13. Joseph Réocreux

14. Gisèle Rossny

15. Jean-Marc Van Bever

16. Lina Wolff

Possible

1. Louise Delaveau

2. Henriette Debauve

3.  Monsieur Fiscot

4. Yvan Dreyfus

5. 2 drug addicts who were supposed to testify in his excessive prescriptions trial.

Summary

Honestly, it surprises me how much some serial killers get away with. Doctor Satan was well known in France. He was a doctor, the mayor, married into a wealthy family, and frequently interacted with police due to his kleptomania and other criminal behaviors.

Despite always being in the public eye, he was able to commit all kinds of murders and kept doing horrible things for over 2 decades before he was finally caught because he was incinerating bodies through his fireplace.

FAQ

Where is the Marcel Petiot house?

The Marcel.Petiot house is located at 21 Rue le Sueur, near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France.

What were Marcel Petiot last words?

Marcel Petiot's last words before he was executed with the guillotine were: