TW: brief mention of suicide and mutilation

Early Life

Christine and Léa Papin were born in Le Mans, France to Clémence Derré and Gustave Papin. Christine was born on March 8, 1905. After her birth, her mother was deemed unsuitable for motherhood and Christine was given to her paternal aunt and uncle. Léa was born on September 15, 1911 and was also given away, this time to her maternal uncle. Eventually, the sisters were sent to the Bon Pasteur Catholic Orphanage, known for its brutality and discipline. During her time in the orphanage, Christine was trained in household duties and was described as a hard worker and good cook. Léa, on the other hand, was quiet, introverted, and obedient.

Christine Papin

Léa Papin

 

Eventually, the girls were old enough to be employed and would work as live-in maids in various homes around the city of Le Mans. Their father was often not satisfied with their pair and made them seek better-paid opportunities for work. This led them to the Lancelin family.

The Lancelin Family

In 1926, Christine and Léa began working as live-in maids for Réne Lancelin, a retired lawyer, Léonie Lancelin, his wife, and their daughter, Geneviève. Outsiders said that the sisters were treated well by the family: they ate the same meals, lived in a heated room, and were paid standard wages of the time. Despite common belief, all was not well within the Lancelin household.

The Papin sisters never spoke to Réne during their seven years working for the family. Instead, they were given written orders from Léonie. Over time, Léonie had developed depression, and Christine and Léa were the target of her mental illness. She began to scrutinize the cleaning and became critical of the work that they sisters had done. Léonie routinely performed “white glove tests” on furniture to confirm that it had been dusted. On various occasions, she would physically assault the girls.

The Murders of Léonie and Geneviève

On Thursday, February 2, 1933, the Lancelin’s were supposed to meet at Léonie’s brother’s house for dinner after the wife and daughter had been out shopping. The Papin’s continued their errands–one of them being to pick up the iron from the repair shop. When the girls plugged the iron into an outlet, it blew a fuse. They decided to wait to repair the fuse since the Lancelin’s were not expected until late into the evening.

To their dismay, Léonie and Geneviève returned home unexpectedly. When told about the outlet, Léonie began attacking the girls. In return, Christine hit the mother’s head with a pewter jug. Geneviève stepped in to try to help her mother, but this only upset the Papin sisters more.

Christine had directed Léa to remove their eyes, which she did. Without any sight, the mother and daughter were helpless. The Papin’s gathered a hammer, a knife, and a pot and continued striking the Lancelin women.

Following the murders, Christine and Léa cleaned themselves, locked every door in the house, and waited for the return of René, who had been expecting his wife and daughter for dinner. When he returned to the home with one of his friends, they found the house completely locked and in pitch darkness; René contacted the police, who broke into the townhouse.

René and police found the bodies of Léonie and Geneviève, and the Papin sisters immediately confessed to their murder, saying it was self defense.

The Trial

After their admission, the girls were separated and questioned individually. In July 1933, Christine experienced an episode in which she tried to remove her own eyes and was placed in a straitjacket. She claimed that she had a similar episode on the day of the murders, and that is what caused the murders.

The Papin’s lawyer pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity on behalf of the girls. They demonstrated signs of mental illness like limiting eye contact and appearing to be in a daze. Doctors were appointed to administer psychological evaluations and it was concluded that the girls had no mental disorders and deemed them sane and fit to stand trial.

A few months later it was revealed that mental illness had run in the Papin family: their uncle died by suicide and their cousin was living in an asylum. After much discussion about the mental stability of the girls, it was determined that they suffered from “Shared Paranoid Disorder” which occurs when groups or pairs of people are isolated from the world and develop paranoia.

Trial of the Papin sisters

During the trial, jurors decided almost immediately that the Papin sisters were guilty of the crime. Léa was sentenced to 10 years since it was believed that she was under the influence of her sister. Christine was initially sentenced to death via guillotine, but it was later changed to life in prison.

Death

The separation from her sister caused Christine to become depressed until she eventually refused to eat. She was transferred to a mental institution in hopes that she would benefit from professional help, but she continued to starve herself until she died.

Léa only served 8 years of her 10 year sentence for demonstrating food behavior in prison. When she was released, she moved to Nantes with her mother and assumed a false identity and continued working as a hotel maid. She eventually died sometime between 1982 and 2001, with mixed accounts of her death.

Sources

https://allthatsinteresting.com/papin-sisters

https://www.history101.com/papin-sisters/

https://murderpedia.org/female.P/p/papin-sisters.htm