The Old Lady Killer

The year is 1984, and a serial killer is on the loose in the French capital of Paris, targeting elderly women. Between October and November, there was a spate of burglaries in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, targeting the homes and apartments of elderly women living alone, who were robbed not only of their valuables and money, but also of their lives. In total, eight women were brutally murdered within two months, with the killer either suffocating the elderly women with a plastic bag over their heads, beating them to death, or forcing them to drink drain cleaner. The police were completely in the dark as to who was responsible for the sadistic series of murders, which suddenly ended abruptly and only resumed from 1985 to 1987. During this time, another eight elderly women were killed. Who was this ruthless killer of elderly women? On November 25, the killer first robbed and murdered 79-year-old Rachel Cohen before attacking 87-year-old Berthe Finaltri on the same day. Miraculously, she survived the attack. Based on her description, a detailed composite sketch of the killer was created. By chance, police inspector Francis Jacob recognized him on Rue de Chabrol in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, where he arrested him on the spot. During the subsequent interrogation, he confessed to 21 murders of elderly women. Eight of these murders he had committed together with his lover. But who was this killer of women, also known as the Monster of Montmartre or the Beast of Paris? He was 24-year-old Thierry Paulin, who came from Martinique and whose trademark was his hydrogen-dyed hair. He was a colorful character in Parisian nightlife, working at the Paradis Latin nightclub, where he performed as a drag queen and loved to sing songs by his favorite singer, Eartha Kitt. It was there that he met his great love, 19-year-old Jean-Thierry Mathurin, with whom he committed the first eight murders in 1984. Thierry was born on November 28, 1963, in Fort-de-France, Martinique. His father returned to mainland France after his birth, leaving behind Thierry’s mother, who was only a teenager at the time. She placed her son in the care of Thierry’s paternal grandmother, who, however, had little time for Thierry as she ran a restaurant. At the age of 10, Thierry went to live with his mother, who had since remarried, and her children. But family life proved difficult, so Thierry was sent to live with his father, who took him in to avoid having to pay child support. Thierry had a hard time with his mostly white classmates because of his skin color. He failed all his exams and joined the military at the age of 17, where he was bullied by his comrades because of his skin color and homosexuality. On November 14, 1982, he robbed an elderly woman’s grocery store, threatening her with a knife. For this, he was sentenced to two years in prison. The sentence was suspended on probation. In 1984, Thierry left the army. He went to live with his mother, who was now living in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris. But once again, living together did not work out. Not only did Thierry and his lover snort cocaine by the bucketful, but he also led a dissolute party life, regularly popping champagne corks. At the end of November 1987, he went with his lover Jean-Thierry to Toulouse, where his father lived. But his father could not accept his love for Jean-Thierry. The couple separated. Thierry tried to start a company for transvestite artists in Toulouse. The project finally failed in the fall of 1985. He then returned to Paris, where he continued his series of murders to finance his extravagant lifestyle and drug addiction. After Thierry attacked a cocaine dealer with a baseball bat in the fall of 1986, who reported the incident to the police, Thierry was arrested and sentenced to 16 months in prison for assault, which he served in Fresnes Prison. Upon his release, Thierry knew he was HIV-positive. From then on, he wanted to enjoy life to the fullest until his last breath. Thierry threw lavish parties and consumed all kinds of drugs. He financed this extravagant lifestyle with stolen credit cards and checks, as well as the robbery murders of elderly women. On December 4, 1987, Thierry was charged with 18 murders. Three murders could not be conclusively proven. But before Thierry could be brought to trial, he died of AIDS on April 16, 1989, in the infirmary of Fresnes prison. His lover, Jean-Thierry Mathurin, was tried for nine assaults and murders. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. In 2012, he was released from prison.