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Podcast: Historical True Crime
Episode: The French Ripper: Joseph Vacher and the Birth of Forensic Science
Description: Between 1894 and 1897, a scarred drifter named Joseph Vacher wandered the French countryside, leaving a trail of murdered shepherds and farmhands in his wake. Dubbed “The French Ripper,” his crimes terrified rural France—and helped give birth to modern forensic science. This episode traces his life, his trial, and the work of Dr. Alexandre Lacassagne, the scientist who proved that evidence could speak louder than fear.Source Materials Starr, Douglas. The Killer of Little Shepherds: A True Crime Story and the Birth of Forensic Science. (Alfred A. Knopf, 2010).Tracking a 19th-Century Serial Killer | BU Today...