Random French Maids Snapped And Brutally Killed Their Boss's Family (11 items)

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  (#1) Christine And Léa Papin Were Born Into An Abusive Home

  Christine and Léa Papin's mother, Clémence, gave birth to her first child, a girl named Emilia, in 1902. By the social standards of the time, Clémence was forced to marry Emilia's father, Gustave, and they went on to have two more children together: Christine, born in 1905, and Léa, born six years later.

  After Clémence gave birth to Christine, she sent Emilia and Christine to be raised by their paternal aunt. It appears Gustave truly loved Clémence, but she was rumored to be having an affair with her boss and was more interested in him than her family. When Gustave tried to move Clémence out of Le Mans to a nearby city, she attempted to end her life at the prospect of leaving. She was unstable and the marriage became volatile - as Clémence pulled away from her family, Gustave began drinking more and more. The couple fought and the girls were often caught between their parents in the drama.

  Shortly after Clémence gave birth to Lea in 1911, she discovered that her husband had molested Emilia. Emilia was only 10 at the time and Clémence left Gustave. She divorced him, although not for the safety of her daughters. She did it to punish Gustave for cheating on her - but even worse, she blamed Emilia for the rape and sent her to live in an orphanage at Le Bon Pasteur convent.
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  (#2) When Their Alcoholic Father And Neglectful Mother Split Up, They Were Sent Away

  When the marriage ended, Clémence sent Léa to live with her great uncle. Emilia was at the orphanage and she soon placed Christine there as well. Christine had been raised by her aunt before entering the orphanage and, once there, she and Emilia became quite close.

  Details and the timeline are unclear, but by some accounts, Christine and Léa both spent time in psychiatric institutions after their parents' divorce.
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  (#3) Christine And Léa Became Domestic Workers To Take Care Of Their Demanding Mother

  Emilia soon became a nun and Christine wished to join her, but her mother forbade it. Clémence wanted Christine and Léa to work as domestic servants so they could support her. She pulled Christine out of Le Bon Pasteur and found her various jobs working as a maid in Le Mans. Christine had learned basic domestic skills at the convent and was able to transfer those to her work. Léa, who stayed with her uncle until he passed, went to the orphanage for a time, but as soon as she was old enough to work, Clémence found her jobs as well.

  The girls gave their incomes to their mother, who continued to find different jobs for them because she didn't think they were being paid enough. They preferred to work together whenever they could.
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  (#4) In 1926, They Began Working For The Lancelin Family

  Christine started working for the Lancelin family in Le Mans in 1926. After a few months, Léa began to work for them as well. René Lancelin was a retired lawyer who lived with his wife, Léonie, and one of his daughters, Geneviève. There were two daughters in the Lancelin family, but one had married and moved out of the home.

  Christine worked as the cook while Léa worked as the maid. They both worked 14 hours a day.
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  (#5) The Papin Sisters Spent All Of Their Time Together And Rarely Left The Lancelin Home

  Christine and Léa kept to themselves and were always together. They were quiet, speaking very little, and even when they were given breaks, stayed in their bedroom. They went to church together on Sundays but did very little in terms of recreational activities. When they did leave the Lancelin home, it was often to run errands for the family. 

  When Madame Lancelin found out that they were sending their wages to Clémence, she forbade them from continuing to do so, looking out for their interests. She even told Clémence herself that the girls would no longer be paying her. The girls worked for the Lancelins for seven years without any major incidents.
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  (#6) On February 2, 1933, The Lancelin Women Returned Home Unexpectedly From A Shopping Trip

  On February 2, 1933, Léonie and Geneviève Lancelin went shopping. They were supposed to meet René Lancelin for dinner that evening at the home of Léonie's brother. It's unclear why, but in the early evening, the two women returned home to find that the house had lost power. Christine and Léa had been home all day, carrying out their usual tasks, but had blown a fuse using a faulty iron. This same thing had happened several days prior and the iron had been fixed - at the girls' expense.

  According to the Papins, Madame Lancelin was irate when she saw that the power was out. Christine tried to explain what had happened but the fight escalated and she hit Madame Lancelin over the head. Geneviève came to her mother's rescue and began to fight with Christine, at which point Léa joined in the scuffle.
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  (#7) Monsieur Lancelin Discovered His Wife And Daughter Severely Beaten

  Monsieur Lancelin returned to the family home after the two women never showed up for dinner. He saw that the house was dark but knew that someone was home because there was candlelight streaming through some of the windows. They tried to open the door but it was locked from the inside. Monsieur Lancelin went to the police and was finally able to get into the house by climbing over a back wall. He found the bodies of his wife and daughter on the ground surrounded by blood.

  Léonie and Geneviève met horrible deaths. They had both been beaten over the head until they were almost unrecognizable. One French psychiatrist later described the scene as an "orgy of blood."
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  (#8) The Papin Sisters Were Found Curled Up In Bed Together

  After discovering the bodies, Monsieur Lancelin looked for the girls and found them wrapped in each other's arms in bed.

  They were clean and in nightgowns and one of their weapons - a hammer - was nearby.
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  (#9) The Papin Sisters Admitted Guilt But Claimed Mental Illness

  Christine and Léa admitted to killing the Lancelin women immediately. They were taken to prison and separated, which incensed them both.

  Christine experienced a "fit" of some kind shortly after being imprisoned and tried to gouge her own eyes out. She later claimed that she had a similar experience on the day of the murders and that she was suffering from a mental illness.
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  (#10) Christine Was Sentenced To Execution And Léa Was Given 10 Years Of Hard Labor

  Multiple doctors examined Christine and Léa to determine the nature of their relationship and their mental health. Medical experts testified at the Papin sisters' trial that Christine was the dominant sister and that Léa looked up to her but both girls were sane and should be held accountable for their crimes equally.

  The trial began in September 1933 and lasted only 13 hours. The jury took 40 minutes to find both girls guilty, but they were given different sentences. Léa was sentenced to 10 years of hard labor because they believed she had been so heavily influenced by her sister. Christine, on the other hand, was given the death penalty. Her sentence was later commuted to life in prison.

  Christine immediately showed signs of mental decline in prison. She was depressed and stopped eating. She was moved to a psychiatric institution and passed of cachexia - essentially wasting away - in 1937. Léa was released from prison in 1941 after serving eight years. She lived with her mother and may have worked as a maid. She passed in either 1982 or 2001, depending on the source.
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  (#11) The Papin Sisters' Crimes Were A National Sensation And An Intellectual Firestorm

  The "Papin Affair" was a phenomenon. The crowds at their trial had to be restrained by police. Psychiatrists and psychologists theorized about the relationship that the girls had with each other and the possible mental illnesses that could be at issue. 

  Intellectuals around France saw their crimes as an act of class warfare, claiming the Papins had simply snapped in response to their social and economic status. Jean Genet wrote a play called Les Bonnes about the girls, the first of many literary, cultural, and visual representations of their actions. Fictional works about the Papin sisters and their actions were used to discuss and bring attention to issues related to sexuality, class struggle, and mental health.

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