Let’s go back in time to fifteenth century France. Pretty much the richest man in the country at the time was Gilles de Rais, a nobleman and a knight. He lived in a castle. He was considered a hero for a long time. He was pals with the king. He hung out with flippin’ Joan of Arc, OK?
Gilles de Rais was also a sadistic monster who enjoyed raping, torturing, and murdering children.
He didn’t do it once. He didn’t do it twice. He didn’t do it four or ten or twenty times.
He didn’t even do it a hundred times. He did it a hundred and forty times. At least.
When people ask me who my “favorite” serial killer is (by which they usually mean “most interesting”), I always choose deRais. Because he’s the perfect intersection of inhuman cruelty and absolute privilege. The ultimate nightmare: Someone with monstrous appetites and too much money and power to stop.
Learn more about him here.
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