Bio

Louis Marie Joseph Voisin was born in 1875 in France. He grew up in a time when many people were moving to cities for work. Voisin became a butcher and learned the trade in a butcher shop. He worked hard and developed skills in cutting and preparing meat.

As a young man, Louis moved to London, England, looking for better opportunities. He settled in a district where many immigrants lived and found a job as a butcher. He spoke broken English, which made it hard for him to communicate with some customers and friends. Despite this, he managed to make a living in the bustling city.

Voisin's life took a significant turn when he met Emilliene Gerard, a Belgian woman. They began a romantic relationship. Emilliene was 32 years old when they started seeing each other. Their relationship was complicated due to the stresses of life in a foreign country and personal problems that arose.

By October 1917, Voisin was living in a basement flat at 101 Charlotte Street. His life was filled with work, his romantic relationship with Emilliene, and the challenges of being an immigrant in a large city. On October 31, 1917, during an air raid in London, tensions in their relationship reached a breaking point. Voisin was with another woman when Emilliene came to see him, leading to a confrontation.

Murder Story

On October 31, 1917, Louis Marie Joseph Voisin killed his Belgian mistress, Emilliene Gerard, in London. After an air raid, Emilliene confronted Voisin and found him with another woman. An argument ensued, which led to a violent altercation. Voisin used a butcher's knife to dismember Emilliene's body, placing the parts into several bags. He then visited her lodgings and told others that she had gone away for a few weeks.

On November 1, 1917, a road sweeper found a bundle in Regent Square, which contained Emilliene's trunk and arms. The search continued, and the missing legs were discovered in a separate parcel nearby. The police quickly traced bag markings to Emilliene's residence. They found bloodstains and an IOU in Voisin's name in her flat. When police questioned Voisin, they collected evidence that linked him to the murder, including a writing sample that matched notes left with the dismembered body.

Voisin was arrested and evidence showed he had been involved in the murder and dismemberment. The police found the head and hands stored in a cask in his cellar. At trial, the pathologist revealed that Emilliene had been struck multiple times before her death and that strangulation followed. The blood evidence from Voisin's kitchen further implicated him in the crime.

Louis Voisin was convicted of murder at the Old Bailey in January 1918 and was sentenced to death. On March 2, 1918, he was executed by hanging at Pentonville Prison, at the age of 42. His accomplice, Berthe Roche, was later tried and found guilty of being an accessory. She received a prison sentence but went mad and died in a hospital for the insane in March 1919.