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

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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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  (#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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  (#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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  (#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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  (#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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  (#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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