Unraveling the Dark Tale of the Papin Sisters 

We don't know how the sisters were treated as babies, but judging from how they were "brought up", they had a very strange and damaging childhood. Their unfeeling, selfish mother's treatment and their father's alcoholism (and indifference?) must have done a lot of damage to their emotional and psychological development. Being abandoned and sent away to an orphanage, they must have been traumatized. Then finding a new mother figure, only to lose her love again... I'm not surprised it ended like it did. They had no chance.

Hello from Scotland! This is quite a story to chew on. Strangely, the most interesting part was how the younger sister lived the rest of her life without incident without her older sister, yet the older one wasted away in prison in a deranged state without her younger sister. I'm not sure what exactly their relationship was, but that on its own is so interesting.

Hello from Nantes, France. Léa is buried here, I saw her grave recently; she died old in the local hospital.

Paul's voice is so relaxing, even if he talks murder and accident.

Sounds like the wife was developing a form of dementia-sudden personality change, violent outbursts.

It’s so sad that the old lady turned against the sisters after being so kind to them initially. Maybe this was the onset of dementia? The murder sounds like overkill, due to the sisters’ fury. Another sad story all round, but, expertly presented, as ever 🙏

The sudden behavioral changes in the employer make me wonder if she had a brain tumor. Whatever it was that changed her, it was very unfortunate that this happened to the employer of two sisters who had already been through so much in their lives.

How very sad. Trauma can run deep and this shows the instability it gave them. The parents were cruel when they tore Christine from a happy life. I know they committed a terrible crime but you can’t help but feel such sadness for them

I feel bad for the sisters. The abuse piled upon them was unjust. I also feel bad for the Madame, and Geneviève. What a tragedy. 😔

It seems to me that they weren't killing the Lancelins, but instead their mother. Regardless of who they were seeing at the time, it's a tragedy all around.

Top marks for impeccable French pronunciations, sir!👌 The Papin sisters case is fascinating, gory, and ultimately truly sad.

I know that for the most part you can’t control your mental health but these girls were really failed by every adult in their lives…

So many of these stories are about abused people of the lower class. Very sad.

It’s so sad that things didn’t work out for the sisters just when it seemed their lives were turning around. I wonder how events would have turned out if the social views and treatment of mental illness emulated today’s, rather than the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Perhaps Madame Lancelin and the sisters would’ve sought or received the treatment and support they needed.

Another interesting case of folie à deux happened in the UK a few years ago, when twin sisters Ursula and Sabina Eriksson ran into traffic on the motorway while being filmed on the TV show Motorway Cops. Its a miracle neither were killed. One of them went on to murder someone. Search for their name and you'll be able to see it, there was also a mini documentary on it called "madness in the fast lane" which was also worth a watch.

Thanks Paul Good day everyone wherever you are hope all is well I'm here listening from sunny saint Lucia have a great day and weekend

Years ago, my mother worked backstage on a number of local theatre productions (she did wardrobe). One of those plays was Jean Genet's The Maids. I hadn't realised it was inspired by true events until this moment.

Thanks Paul, that was an amazing and poignant story. I personally doubt the Sisters were incestuous. But who can even tell. But I identify with their devotion to one another and their shared symptoms. My Siblings and I suffered extreme abuse, and I do believe that our shared suffering caused my only Sister and I to have a bond like twins. Even our own language. I'm glad the younger Sister got to experience normal life and grow older. Paul, you bring us amazing true stories. Really appreciated. 😊

This story is tragic in so many ways. Thanks for another fascinating video

Thank you Paul, for this video and for doing it with such humanity. While it does not excuse the gruesome violence, it is so important to understand the psychological background of the sisters. I watched the case in Deadly Women, and I remember it being super exploitative and focused on the incest part. Mental illness is unforgiving

Thank you for telling us the backstory of the Papin sisters. I've never heard of it before. Now, I have a better understanding of their actions.

You are one of the best story tellers that I have come across! I love listening to your voice and the way that you soothingly weave your tales. Thank you!

They're lives were tragic, but what they did wasn't class warfare it was murder.

Thank you for another great, mesmerising criminal documentary. My grand mother was living in Tours, near Le Mans, when it happened and she was marked for life by this terrible crime. She told me and my sisters when we were old enough about it, so I’m grateful you covered this story in a British channel. As always, your storytelling is gripping, and your French pronunciation excellent ;)

I remember watching a movie based on this story years ago. They portrayed their relationship as incestuous. It was called “sister my sister”

Bravo Paul! I’ve heard this story so many times, yet, no one has given it so much more compassion than you. I feel so sorry these girls, who truly felt they had no,one else but themselves!

Wonderful narration of a truly bizarre yet sad story. One can,t help but feel sympathy for the two sisters. I think they would have been happier if they had been allowed to take their vows and live out their days together in the convent.Abuse can have catastrophic consequences in any time period..this is not much different from the modern horror stories we hear.

Watching this channel I have noticed that a lot of these crimes were perpetrated by people, mostly women, who had suffered incredibly throughout their life without getting any warmth, empathy or help. The stories behind the crimes are often heartbreaking.

I wonder if Mme. Lèonie developed some kind of dementia since her behavior and personality changed so drastically. A friend of mine took in her much older sister (15 year age difference) when fellow professors noticed she was having memory and personality issues. Andi is actually only a few years older than her own nephew. Andi understood that her sister needed to live with a caretaker and stepped up. What she didn’t realize was how far the Alzheimer’s had actually progressed. She literally had to lock their silverware and cutlery in her bedroom because her sister got more and more violent. After a couple of years, she had to give up and put her sister in a professional care facility. Since Mme. Lèonie went from being kind to angry and violent, that sounds like Alzheimer’s. Some people keep their original personality, some get violent.

Wow. This one was particularly sad for so many reasons.

These poor sisters had a pitiful life but at least they had each other & when they didn't...☠️. Such a sad tale, thank you Paul 👍

A sad tale, hurt people hurt others, these two needed and deserved a better life. As always, extremely well presented, thank you for your classic outro.

What an unfortunate pair. I'm amazed Christine was deemed sane. Her behavior before and after the murders shows insanity. Self-defense is justified but murder is not. I do think anyone physically assaulting any other person or persons is risking their own well-being and possibly their very life.

Any human who has a history of abuse can find difficulty in appreciating kindness from others, especially when they have already bonded with someone they trust. A family member who protects will always be obeyed. A very sad story.

A really tragic tale all around. I knew a bit of it but this really provided a great background, especially about their family. I am very curious about Léonie's sudden illness - was she injured? What was it? That extreme shift in behaviour is so out of the blue. Love from Saskatchewan, Canada!

I'm very new to your channel. Literally one day ago I came across it and I'm already hooked and binge watching.

03:14am in new south Wales Australia. Fourteen minutes ago this one is uploaded and I'm watching it now lol

When people are treated brutally over the course of a lifetime, they grow inured. I wonder how often these women met with violence in their young lives.

Thank you for another top notch video.

I didn't speak to my sister for 15yrs until she came(unexpectedly) to my daughter's funeral last year. I haven't heard from her since. You can't win em all..🤷

I was spellbound by this tale... and I really enjoy the way you tell these stories. 👏Thanks for the video. Cheers from Germany 🇩🇪

There are so many olde tyme crime tales that practically every YT crime channel has covered. This one (as with many of yours) I've never heard of. Thank you for going after fresh stories, presenting them so elegantly, and always in such dapper threads.

You’re are an amazing story teller. Thanks 🇨🇦

Psychologically this is a fascinating case. The shared psychosis scenario seems a little too extreme. I think it's more likely the power dynamic between them was skewed so severely it led to the younger being entirely reliant on her dominant sister. She had no personality or life of her own, and her sister seemed to enjoy having that power and making them both so insular, almost like a cult dynamic or perhaps even Stockholm syndrome.

Yet another really well told version of a tragic, and sometimes horrifying tale .

A sad, sad story for everyone concerned except the mother.

Absolutely enjoy your eloquence of speech and research background of all of your video's! Thank you from Missouri USA

Those poor, traumatised sisters! The fact that they had the money & good reputation to move to another household (or city) but didn't, tells me their spirits had already been broken. I don't believe they were responsible for their actions & although they did need to be institutionalised, separating them was cruel in the extreme.😢

Great video. Obsolete Oddity also has an excellent video on these sisters.

Finally someone who pronounces Leah right!!!

Gday from Australia, just found this channel, been having a marathon of watching. Great stuff .

The description of the sisters' behavior in court sounds like disassociation to me. It's a defense mechanism commonly found in people who had an abusive childhood. You check out and just kinda space out to seperate yourself from the thing that's causing you pain or stress.

I guess being constantly abused was like a ticking time bomb. 😔

Hi from chilly Devon! No snow just a biting wind. This is such a sad tale, told with finesse and amazing diction as always.

Your content - narration on point - this channel my guilty pleasure - it’s intelligent , factual , and very psychologically intelligent . Again thank you Sir . ❤

Oh my, how I would have loved if you were my history teacher back when I was in school.

While I had heard this story before, your retelling is, as always, excellent

Paul, your narration is astonishing. Thank you for bringing this to our attention & truly making it so, but so much justice

Superb presentation as always of an intense and compelling story! Cant get enough of Paul and WIN!

Great episode as always! 👍

Thankyou so much for this! I have long been interested in the Papin sisters but this is by far the best telling of their story.

If I were to ever commit some horribly violent, gruesome, unspeakable atrocity, or heaven forbid I become the hapless victim of one, I could only hope with all sincerity that the tale, as it were , might be conveyed to the wider world by our ever eloquent presenter, Mr. Brodie. And Perhaps, upon hearing the sordid details of the whole affair, people across the globe will collectively clutch at their chests, wring their hands, and gasp Well, I never!

Great upload! Interesting crime that isn’t widely known. Thanks for covering it so well!

Always an excellent story. Thank you.

Feeling compassion for the sisters yet seeing that they needed to pay for their crimes, and knowing that no matter what,Leonie and Genevieve did not deserve this. It was obvious Christine was much more ill, mentally, and I think justice was served. Lea being seperated from her sister was a brilliant move by those in authority.

This is the first video of yours I’ve come across and it was an instant subscribe! The voice, the info, and the vibe overall is just perfect 👌🏼

Dear Paul, thank you for another intriguing story. I hope this finds you well and that you're feeling better than ever. ❤️

Love your program. Greetings from Florida

Paul you an your crew did a good job on this video very tragic but with lots of interesting facts

Listening from snowy yorkshire 🖤👿

Another great show thanks

Great video. Very interesting and informative. Love all your videos ❤

My first time posting a comment on this channel although I've been watching it for over a year. I have to admit that I L-O-V-E the one rule you have & it's the one rule I wish people would have regarding life in general. I love the channel, content & presentation of the stories. Thanks! 👍

Hello Paul, thanks so much for producing yet another very interesting video full of twists,turns and changes of fate. One which I loved watching . I find your subject matter very interesting perhaps because I have been a RN and for astrological reasons. So the medical stories are of particular interest to me but not necessarily restricted to such as I love a good story in crime too. Cheers ,Colin

This case has always intrigued me, and as always you present it brilliantly! Thank you. 😊 For another French case, I would recommend looking into the disappearance of Blanche Monnier. The outcome definitely lives up to your channel’s name.

What a gruesome murder! I can't imagine coming across such a scene, but I do feel sorry for both sides involved. May everyone R.I.P.

thanks Paul for another great story. you are the best :)

How fascinating. Quite a tale 😳

Tragedy eloquently and compassionately told. Greetings from Cleveland, Ohio.

Watching from the sweltering heat of Indonesia! Thank you Paul for keep creating gems each time. Read and study a bit about these sisters in college but I've forgotten many details of it.

Amazing story, its very sad but I can also see why they gained the sympathy that they did!

What a tragic story, but beautifully told.

You are a very interesting story teller, thank you for such an interesting case!

There is a short novel from Hungarian writer Dezső Kosztolányi with nearly the same story, however, with only a single young maid killing the family she works at. The novel is called 'Édes Anna', 'Sweet Anna' in Hungarian.

Very interesting!❤

Hi, from Birmingham, Alabama. My grandmother used to preface every exclamation of surprise with, "Well, I never......!"

If my employer was cruel and slammed my head into a wall, I would leave!!

I always enjoy to the point story telling You sir never disappointe.. thank you

Thank you for your research and compassionate approach to your subjects. It is much appreciated. Greetings from Dimboola, in Victoria, Australia.

Thank You

There was a film made on this case that's what got me interested, although some poetic license was taken. Fascinating and sad tale. Really shows how difficult life was during the Victorian era. Thank you for covering this case.

Sir, I was well aware of this case, and yet once again you added important insight unbeknownst to me...kudos!!!🙏👌👻❣️

The big question I have is what caused the change in the employer’s wife? If she had not gone from the kind caring woman to a shrew, things would have been different too. So sad that the only thing their mother that of was she could get out of them. Their frenzy was in the end an expression of all those years of mistreatment. I do feel immense pity for the elder sister, and compassion for the youngest.

Top tier content. Greetings from phoenix az

Such a sad story. I had never heard this before.

Very interesting video, sir! I enjoy your beautiful pronunciation! Have a great weekend!

Thank you.

Thanks. 👍🏽

Love your look! And great content 😊

quality content lads!