Claude Lastennet: The Old Lady Killer

One of the youngest French serial killers, who killed five elderly women in the suburbs of Paris within just six months between August 1993 and January 1994, earning him the nickname “Old Lady Killer” in criminal history, was Claude Lastennet. Claude was born on January 19, 1971, just a few minutes after his brother Frédéric, in the French port city of Brest. Claude grew up without his father, who was a sailor and had no contact with his family. Claude’s mother Jacqueline left her two sons in 1983 to earn money as a postal worker in Paris. Claude and his older brother Frédéric were temporarily raised by relatives in Crozon until Jacqueline brought her two sons to Paris two years later. In 1983, she moved back to her old region with her sons, settling in Morlaix. Just one year later, Jacqueline remarried. Claude saw his mother’s new marriage as a betrayal and did not get along with his alcoholic stepfather, which is why he ran away from home at the age of 14. After Claude successfully completed a course at a school in Quimper with a certificate in restaurant management and pastry making, he worked as a seasonal waiter in a hostel, where he soon started dealing drugs. Claude himself became addicted to drugs and was constantly using hashish. After being discharged from military service in 1990, Claude sought help at a psychiatric clinic. He had suffered a nervous breakdown due to the death of his grandmother. From 1991, he worked as a waiter, where he became known for his affairs with older women and eventually lost his job because he refused to serve some customers. This marked the beginning of Claude’s downward spiral, which culminated in a suicide attempt in February 1993 during a visit from his brother Frédéric. Claude had tried to take his own life with an overdose of Lexomil, but was saved. He then stopped taking his medication for his mental illness on his own initiative and began to specifically seek out older women. The first murder took place on August 24, 1993. Claude broke into the home of 87-year-old Marcelle Cavilier in Chevilly-Larue. He forced his way into her apartment, demanded money, and strangled her when she refused to hand it over. This was the beginning of a violent series of attacks that targeted many of the most vulnerable members of society. With his loot of 12,000 francs, he was able to pay not only his rent but also other debts. After his first murder, Claude had tasted blood. Although there had been a witness whose description had been used to create a composite sketch, the police were completely in the dark as to the identity of the mysterious killer of old ladies. Shortly afterwards, on November 15, Antoinette Bonin, a 76-year-old woman, was murdered. Claude used the same modus operandi. He broke into her home and strangled the old lady. When her son François suddenly encountered Claude in the apartment, Claude claimed that his mother was unwell and fled. François ran to his mother, who was lying on the floor. He immediately asked his wife Nicole to call the police. However, suspicion did not fall on Claude; instead, the police believed that François had killed his mother out of greed. In December 1993, Claude continued his series of murders by breaking into the apartments of 72-year-old Raymonde Dolisy and 91-year-old Augustine Royer, strangling and robbing both women. The police investigation was in full swing and it turned out that all the murder victims lived on the same bus route, the 172, in the south of Paris. On December 20, Claude attacked 82-year-old Rosalie Czjka, whom he threatened with a gun. But she screamed so loudly for help that a neighbor rushed over and Claude fled, losing his cap in the process. Claude’s last murder victim was 92-year-old Violette de Ferluc on January 8, 1994, whose apartment he broke into, ransacked, and strangled Violette. Just a few days later, on January 12, 1994, Claude was finally arrested after Arnaud Bossu, who lived in the same dormitory as Claude, informed the police that Claude had told him about stolen credit cards belonging to elderly women whom he had murdered. He wanted to know how he could use them. When Arnaud reacted with shock, Claude dismissed it as a macabre joke. But Arnaud knew about the series of murders committed by the “Old Lady Killer,” which had dominated the headlines throughout France. His statement led to Claude’s arrest, and Claude immediately confessed to the five murders and one attempted murder. During a search of his apartment, numerous pieces of evidence were discovered, including jewelry and personal items belonging to his victims. In October 1997, his trial began before the Val-de-Marne Assize Court. During the trial, Claude spoke of his crimes in the third person and confessed to his actions without hesitation. He explained that he had been inspired by stories about vampires and Satan and that he suffered from a split personality. Like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, two personalities lived within him. The murders were carried out by his evil doppelganger, who had taken possession of him. On October 22, 1997, he was found guilty of five counts of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years. In the following years, Claude claimed to have made progress through psychotherapy. Nevertheless, he was denied the possibility of early release and died on December 19, 2023, at the age of 52, in the Poitiers-Vivonne prison. Claude Lastennet remains an intimidating example of the evil that can lurk in any society. His actions not only destroyed the lives of his victims, but also profoundly affected their families. In a world often characterized by anonymity, he has immortalized himself as the “Old Lady Killer.” Unfortunately, not through heroic deeds, but through a heinous series of murders of elderly, frail women in the suburbs of Paris.