Between 1894 and 1897, a scarred drifter named Joseph Vacher wandered the French countryside, leaving a trail of murdered shepherds and farmhands in his wake. Dubbed “The French Ripper,” his crimes terrified rural France—and helped give birth to modern forensic science. This episode traces his life, his trial, and the work of Dr. Alexandre Lacassagne, the scientist who proved that evidence could speak louder than fear.

Source Materials

Starr, Douglas. The Killer of Little Shepherds: A True Crime Story and the Birth of Forensic Science. (Alfred A. Knopf, 2010).

Tracking a 19th-Century Serial Killer | BU Today | Boston University

Joseph Vacher: Serial Killer Known as "The French Ripper" - geriwalton.com

The 'French Ripper' Killed Dozens — So Why Don’t You Know His Name?

Joseph Vacher: The French Ripper’s Brutal Killing Spree – True Crime Archives

Joseph Vacher: The Killer of Little Shepherds

Joseph Vacher, the “French Ripper” - HeadStuff