The Beast of Bastille: The Chilling Crimes of Guy Georges

Guy Georges is a French serial killer and serial rapist who killed at least seven women. In the largest manhunt in French criminal history, the "Beast of Bastille" was eventually caught through DNA evidence.

CHILDHOOD

Guy Georges was born as Guy Rampillon on October 15, 1962, in Angers, France. His father, George Cartwright, was a soldier who worked as a cook at NATO bases. Abandoned by his parents at a young age, Guy was taken in by DDASS, the French social services agency. He was placed with a foster family and was given the name Georges at the age of six to facilitate his adoption. He grew up in a family with 12 adopted children. Young Georges never received the love, attention, and stability he needed, and soon displayed a violent and aggressive personality.

EARLY ACTS OF VIOLENCE

In his first violent attack at the age of 14, Georges attempted to strangle one of his mentally disabled adopted sisters. Two years later, he attacked another one of his adopted sisters. To ensure the well-being of their family, his adoptive mother arranged for Georges to return to the authorities of DDASS.

Placed in another foster family, Georges couldn't control his violent urges and struck again on February 6, 1979. He attacked a girl named Pascale C, attempting to strangle her, but she managed to escape. Rejected by his foster family, Georges became increasingly depressed and turned to alcohol for solace.

A year later, he assaulted two more girls. Georges was convicted and sentenced to one year in prison. After his release, he moved to Paris, where he lived in squatted houses in the eastern part of the city. He engaged in petty crimes to finance his life, drank heavily, and befriended young people interested in left-wing politics.

INCREASING VIOLENCE

One month after his 19th birthday, Georges committed his first rape. On November 16, 1981, he attacked Nathalie C, a neighbor. He raped her and then stabbed her repeatedly. Believing that she hadn't survived the attack, he left her. However, Nathalie was lucky and went to the police. Georges was imprisoned for five months.

On June 7, 1982, he raped Violette K in a parking lot and severely injured her. She also went to the police and filed a report. Georges ended up behind bars for another 18 months. Shortly after his release, Georges attacked Pascale N, 21, in a parking lot. He raped her and stabbed her, but she managed to escape. Later that evening, the police arrested Georges. In 1985, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Meurthe-et-Moselle Assize Court. Due to good behavior, Georges was released from prison during the day towards the end of his sentence. One evening, he didn't return to prison and instead traveled to Paris to commit his first murder.

SERIAL KILLER

THE MURDER SPREE BEGINS

Georges spotted a young woman walking down the street. She was 19-year-old student Pascale Escarfail. Georges followed her home and grabbed her as she opened her front door. He held a knife to her throat, forced his way in, tied her up, raped her, and then cut her throat, watching her die.

A week after the murder, Georges calmly returned to prison as if nothing had happened. Released from prison on April 4, 1992, he committed his next assault, which was not fatal for the victim, but led him back to jail.

On January 7, 1994, Georges attacked 27-year-old Catherine Rock in an underground parking lot, where he raped and murdered her. Just six days later, Georges struck again. His victim was radio presenter Annie L., whom he raped on January 13, 1994, on the terrace of her house. Georges' next attack occurred on November 8, 1994, in the underground parking lot of 22-year-old Elsa Benady's building, where he raped and killed her. One month later, on December 10, 1994, he raped and murdered Dutch architect Agnes Nijkamp.

The media began reporting on a "killer in East Paris." After a failed murder attempt on Elisabeth O., he raped and killed Helena Frinking, 27, in her apartment on July 8, 1995.

Further attacks on women followed, and two more victims, Magalie Sirotti and Estelle Magd, lost their lives.

THE INVESTIGATION

Investigators realized that several unsolved crimes were connected and that they were possibly hunting a serial killer. The media frenzy surrounding the murders had caused panic among the Parisian population. Georges was dubbed the "Beast of Bastille" because several of his attacks had taken place in the Bastille district, the famous Parisian neighborhood from the revolutionary era. It was one of the largest manhunts in French criminal history.

The police eventually found Georges in Montmartre and arrested him on March 27, 1998, for the rape and murder of Pascale Escarfail, Catherine Rock, Elsa Benady, and Agnes Nijkamp.

It was revealed that Georges' DNA matched the samples found at all four crime scenes, as well as from an attempted rape. Confronted with the irrefutable DNA evidence during his pretrial detention, Georges confessed to three more murders.

In December 2000, Georges attempted an unsuccessful escape just weeks before his trial was set to begin. He and three fellow inmates had tried to saw through the bars of their cell but were caught by prison guards.

THE TRIAL

The trial began on Monday, March 19, 2001. Although prosecutor Evelyne Lesieur presented the DNA evidence and Georges' confession after his arrest, he pleaded not guilty to all charges in court. He recanted his confession and claimed that the police had tortured and beaten him to obtain it. However, eight days into the trial, the defendant broke down in tears and confessed.

THE AFTERMATH

Following the Georges case, French Minister of Justice Elisabeth Guigou established a precedent by creating a national register to store the DNA of all sexual offenders.

Georges remains a suspect in some other murders previously attributed to the Bastille series. It is believed that he will never be released from prison, as experts describe him as a narcissistic psychopath whose urge to kill cannot be cured.

There are voices that believe Georges will commit suicide in prison, as he allegedly said, "Rest assured: I know I will never leave prison. But I can assure you that I will never serve my sentence. The verdict you render against me means nothing. I will impose my own judgment."