Francis Heaulme French serial killer Date of Birth: 25.02.1959 Country: France

Biography of Francis Heaulme

Francis Heaulme was a French serial killer who suffered from Klinefelter syndrome, a condition characterized by an extra X chromosome. Behind his facade of madness, he was a cold-minded manipulator. He was born on February 25, 1959. Until the age of 17, he suffered abuse from his father, leading him to become an alcoholic and attempt suicide. However, he had a close relationship with his younger sister and idolized his mother, who died of cancer when he was 23.

At the age of 20, Heaulme developed an interest in cycling. Eight years later, he left home to travel around France by foot, hitchhiking, and train, often without a ticket. He lived in shelters, psychiatric institutions, and detoxification centers. Occasionally, Heaulme earned money by working as a metal worker and bricklayer, spending his meager earnings on alcohol, sometimes mixed with tranquilizers. Due to Klinefelter syndrome, Heaulme was incapable of physical violence. However, in at least two criminal cases, he was accompanied by other men, one of whom was a distant relative. They would rape the victims, after which Heaulme would kill them. Heaulme was arrested on January 7, 1992, in Bischwiller by gendarme Jean-François Abgrall.

It was challenging for law enforcement agencies, including the police and gendarmerie, to prove his guilt. The lack of coordination between police organizations also played a significant role. Nevertheless, Heaulme provided the authorities with incredible accuracy about the murders he committed. For example, he described how he killed a watchman by tightly gripping his neck with one hand and stabbing him in the carotid artery with the other, only to retract his statement later. Heaulme was suspected, accused, and found guilty of numerous crimes committed in 87 departments of France. He murdered 8-year-old Jorris Viville, and it was evident that he wasn't acting alone as the body was found more than 20 km away from the crime scene. Due to Klinefelter syndrome, Heaulme simply couldn't have done it himself. Regardless, he was the only one convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Heaulme killed 44-year-old Aline Peres in Brest, for which he received a 20-year prison sentence. The crime was committed in broad daylight on a public beach, surrounded by people who saw nothing. The serial killer also murdered 14-year-old Laurence Guillaume, resulting in a life sentence. His accomplice, who was convicted of rape and participation in the murder, received 18 years of imprisonment. In the case of the murder of Laurent Bureau, a young military conscript, Heaulme was acquitted by a jury trial. During the murder, Heaulme was accompanied by Didier Gentil, who had already been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a young girl in 1989. The court couldn't determine which of the two killers was truly responsible for Laurent's death, so both were acquitted.

On September 29, 1986, Heaulme killed two children found dead along the railroad tracks in Montigny-lès-Metz. A man named Patrick Dils had previously been found guilty of this crime and spent 15 years in prison before being released in 2002. In May 1997, Heaulme was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 22 years for several murders. On December 16, 2004, he received an additional 30 years to his life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 20 years for three murders he committed in the Marne region in 1988 and 1989.

In March 2005, TF1 television aired the drama "Dans la tête du tueur," where Thierry Frémont portrayed Heaulme. The 70-minute BBC documentary "Dance with a Serial Killer," featuring Jean-François Abgrall discussing Heaulme's case, was shown on February 24, 2008.