Four Real Life Hannibal Lecters

What makes murderers or serial killers kill? What about eating the flesh of their victims? Are cannibal serial killers a product of our modern society? Is it their upbringing or was it always in them from the beginning? Nature or nurture? Here are some of history’s most horrible and terrifying cannibal serial killers and please remember there are plenty more roaming free after serving their sentences.

1. Nicolas Claux – aka “the Vampire of Paris”

Bio:

DOB :-  22nd March 1972

Occupation:-  Mortician’s Assistant

Religion:- Devil Worshipper/Satanist

Hobbies: hardcore S&M, slasher films, painting and reading autopsy, forensic science and true crime novels

Nicolas Claux was arrested on November 15,1994. He murdered Thierry Bissonnier, 34, on the 4th October 1994 and was sentenced to 12 years for murder, grave robbing and numerous lesser charges with no mention of cannibalism though…

He was then released early on the 22nd March 2002.

Some of the grisly things he claims he did include robbing bones from graves, taking flesh from dead people at the mortuary where he worked so he could cook it at home and eat it, stealing blood from hospitals so he could make shakes (a mix of  blood, protein powder and people’s ashes will get you further than steroids!).

There are also rumors that he killed another 7 people also in October 1994 but this has never been proven as most of the stories (that included him immersing himself in the putrefying remains of a corpse and eating the flesh) were dismissed on the count of lack of evidence. They say he was pretty intelligent, so he’s got that in common with Dr. Lecter.

2. Richard Trenton Chase – aka “the Vampire of Sacramento”

Bio:

DOB: 23rd May 1950

Home town: Santa Clara, California

History: pyromaniac, tortured animals as a child, claimed he was abused by his mother as a child too. Suffered from hypochondria and also was an alcoholic and used drugs.

In a nutshell he believed that by eating animals and – of course – human flesh, he could cure his shrinking heart or shifting bones in his skull. Psychologists believe he suffered from Renfield syndrome.

He killed neighbors’ pets and wild animals so he could drink their blood to keep himself healthy. Apparently everything and everyone was after this guy so the only way to stay safe and healthy was fresh blood, no matter where it came from.

In December 1977 and January 1978 he killed, tortured, mutilated, raped  and pretty much ate 6 victims, including a child and a 22 month old baby. The details are a bit too much to be even brought up, look it up if that interests you. He killed and ate a baby, enough said.

He was caught and arrested after someone saw him committing these horrendous acts and recognized him and his car, because he was in too much hurry to get his blood fix that he didn’t stray away from home at all.

They charged him with 6 counts of murder and he was serving a life sentence in prison when he committed suicide, on December 26th 1980.

3. Issei Sagawa

source

• DOB:-11th June 1949
• Hometown:- Kobe,Japan

Issei was a Japanese student studying English literature Degree in Paris. He befriended a girl called Renee Hartevelte, his first and only victim, he shot and killed her on the 11th June 1981. Issei then cannibalised her over the next 2 days. He was caught  and arrested while trying to dump her remains in a local lake. The courts tried him and found him legally insane. He was committed to a mental institute where after a year he checked himself out and returned to Japan.

He has been a free man since the 12th August and is still living in Japan .

Wow the French really know how to punish their murderers. I’m not off to Japan anytime soon with that lunatic a free man!

4. Fritz Haarmann – aka “The Butcher of Hannover” and “The Vampire of Hannover”

source

• DOB:- 25th October 1879
• Hometown:- Hanover,Germany

Fritz was a quiet boy, who preferred to play with girls’ toys rather than play football or do sports. He also wasn’t a very good scholar.

At 16 he joined a military academy, but was discharged a year later on medical grounds. In 1898 he was charged with molesting children and institutionalised but escaped and fled to Switzerland.

He returned to Germany under a false  name in 1902, rejoined the military but was discharged again. He lived as a thief, burglar and con artist for which he served several short prison sentences. Haarmann killed his first victim in 1918, a 17 year old boy called Friedel Rothe.

He was then caught with a naked teenage boy for which he served 9 months in prison.

Fritz once released targeted young male commuters, runaways and male prostitutes. He killed them by biting through their throats while sodomising them.

He killed 24 or 27 young men between 25th September 1918 and 14th June 1924.
Rumour has it the flesh from these victims ended up as canned pork on the black market and Haarmann was know to be an active trader in contraband meat.
After being placed under surveillance he was arrested trying to lure a young boy to his apartment. While in custody he confessed to between 50 and 70 murders, but police could only tie him to 27 disappearances. Fritz was charged with 27 murders.
Haarmann’s trial started on the 4th December 1924, when he was found guilty of 24 of the 27 murders and sentenced to death.
On the 15th april 1925 beheaded by guillotine.His last word were “he repented but was not afraid of death”
Glad I wasn’t around to meet this one…

These kinds of crimes are always shocking, as us normal human beings would never think of killing another person never mind killing and eating them,drinking their blood or consuming their internal or sexual organs. Some did it to heal themselves, others to make themselves stronger and quite a few for sexual gratification as they couldn’t get it just through sex.

But under it all they are the same as us and that’s what really scares us…

Clarabo is a foodie and writes for a lot of meat related blogs, typically on the subject of preparing meat how to cook pork, chicken, beef. Also recipe idea for meat cuts such as cow rump and pork belly recipe.