Pierre Basson
Pierre Corneille Faculys Basson (born 1880 - January 22, 1906[1]) was South Africa's first documented serial killer. He killed and buried at least nine people in his backyard in Claremont, Cape Town, so he could later claim their life insurance payout. When police officers arrived at his house, he shot himself.[2]
Pierre Basson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Pierre Corneille Faculys Basson 1880 |
| Died | January 22, 1906 (aged 25–26) Claremont, Cape Town, South Africa |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Details | |
| Victims | 9 |
Span of crimes | 1903–1906 |
| Country | South Africa |
| State(s) | Cape Town |
Life
Basson was born in 1880 and is guilty of cruel acts at an early age. When he was 12, he sliced a boy with a knife and enjoyed watching animals suffer. Among other things, he enjoyed catching and killing birds. He also cut off cats' feet to see how they writhed from the pain.
As an adult, Basson lent money to people. Borrowers had to name him as beneficiary for their life insurance policies, after which he killed them between 13 February 1903, until 22 January 1906, to claim the money.
Basson's first victim was his brother Jasper, who drowned on a fishing trip on February 4, 1903. Jasper's body was never found and the insurance company initially did not want to pay the policy until they were ordered by a court to do so.
He took his own life when the police uncovered the grave of his last victim, Wilhelm Schaefer (a German farmer). His last words to his mother when the police started excavations in their yard were: "I'm going to go to the police. I did not do anything wrong."
He was posthumously convicted of murder after 1906.[3]
References
- (en) Profiel op murderpedia.org, besoek op 19 November 2016
- HAT Taal-en-feitegids, Pearson, December 2013, ISBN 978-1-77578-243-8
- (in English) Murdering for money, Pierre Basson: 1903, besoek op 19 November 2016