Jean de Koven American dancer Country: France

Biography of Jean de Koven

Jean de Koven (1915 – 07.1937) was an American dancer from Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to moving to Europe, she lived in Brooklyn, New York, teaching ballet and classical dance in several local schools. She resided with her aunt, Ida Sackheim, in a Paris hotel. Jean disappeared on July 23rd and her body was only discovered in December 1937, near a villa in La Celle-Saint-Cloud. It was later revealed that Jean was the first victim of the serial killer Eugene 'Karrer' Weidmann, who was arrested and convicted along with nine accomplices.

Jean arrived in Normandy on July 19th. She had been corresponding with a man who lived in another hotel in Paris. On the evening of her disappearance, Jean went for a walk with her camera and promised to return by 8 pm to accompany her niece to the opera. Unfortunately, she was never seen alive again. Soon after, Ida received a letter demanding $500 for Jean's life and well-being. Ida immediately involved the police, and more letters and mysterious phone calls followed. Detectives struggled to trace the mysterious recipient of Jean's letters, despite him regularly placing new advertisements in a popular American newspaper in Paris. In September, Ida Sackheim announced a reward for any information about Jean's whereabouts or her kidnappers. Eventually, Jean de Koven's body was found and taken to a local morgue. She was not Weidmann's only victim - later, Raymond Lesobre, Roger LeBlond, Joseph Couffy, and Janine Keller would join her as victims of this serial killer.

The police were able to reconstruct the entire story later on. Eugene Weidmann, originally from Frankfurt, had moved to Paris to avoid military service. He had spent some time in Canada before being arrested and deported for robbery. He later served another sentence in Frankfurt. In Paris, Weidmann continued to earn a living through theft. Two previous arrests, however, had taught him some caution. He would target wealthy victims, usually American or English tourists, follow them to a secluded area, and then strangle or shoot them in the back. Weidmann met de Koven at the Paris Exhibition, where he worked as a translator while also selecting new targets. Although Jean was killed in July, Weidmann managed to hide her body well, significantly complicating the investigation. Eventually, her grave was discovered, and Jean de Koven's remains were finally laid to rest.

Jean's funeral took place on December 31st, 1937, in New York. The local church minister, Rabbi Mortimer Bloom, had known Jean since her youth and highlighted her exceptional character and incredible talents in his eulogy. In 2008, the book 'Beaux Ténèbres, la Pulsion du Mal d'Eugène Weidmann' by Michel Ferracci-Porri was published by Editions Normant in France, depicting the story of Weidmann's victims, including Jean de Koven.