DAMNATIO MEMORIAE: THE SERIAL KILLERS HISTORY IS TRYING TO FORGET

Article BY Curtis Fease

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In the modern world, a morbid fascination with serial killers ensures that they're remembered long after taking their final breaths. Before the times when killers were thrust into pop culture and idolized on social media, though, many instances of serial murder were simply forgotten.

Even stranger, some serial killers faced a punishment known as damnatio memoriae -- "damnation of memory." Those subjected to this punishment would literally be erased from history, as if they never even existed. Fortunately, efforts to erase people weren't always successful.

There are numerous examples of serial killers from the past who are in danger of being forgotten but have not yet crossed that threshold. But when people look at the Charles Mansons and Ed Geins of the world and think they've seen the worst of humankind, it becomes apparent that maybe some of these historical serial killers really should be forgotten.

Because if modern-day killers are the worst monsters that most can imagine, the following demons will create a dark void in the hearts of man which won't easily be filled.

 

Banishment of a prince

Many people have likely heard of the Chinese Han Dynasty, which ruled China for over 400 years starting in 206 BC. One member of this dynasty, though, doesn't get nearly as much recognition in the history books. His name was Prince Liu Pengli, and many sources refer to Pengli as the world's first serial killer.

Of course, it's highly unlikely that the title of first serial killer could go to someone born nearly 200,000 years after the appearance of modern humans, but there's no doubt that he's one of the earliest in the historical record. From what history tells us, Pengli's reign of terror began when his uncle, Emperor Jing of Han, put him in charge of Jidong in 144 BC.

Though his ascension to power was obviously reason for celebration for Pengli, it began decades of living in fear for those under his rule. The prince would often gather dozens of young men, both criminals and slaves, and maraud through the countryside killing those he came across. The few historical texts that exist of the raids say that Pengli murdered and robbed these people for "sheer sport."

Unlike serial killers of today, Pengli felt no urge to hide his deeds. In fact, people throughout the kingdom were afraid to leave their homes at night because they all knew of the constant murders. Eventually, one of Pengli's victims' sons came forward and made an accusation directly to the Emperor. This would prove to be the ancient serial killer's downfall.

It was soon discovered that Pengli had murdered over 100 of his subjects. After he was accused, government officials recommended that he be put to death, but being unable to pass down the desired penalty on his own nephew, the Emperor instead stripped him of his royal title. The Han government reclaimed the land of Jidong from Pengli in 116 BC, and he was then banished to Shangyong.

There are not many historical texts containing Pengli, and after his banishment, it's as if he disappeared from the record altogether. Without the few documents that do exist, one of the world's first prolific serial killers could have easily been lost to history.

 

Darkness is genetic

In the 17th century, a man by the name of Gisli was taken to the gallows and executed for what history simply calls being a villain. When Gisli was only 5 years old, his father, Sveinn Bjornsson, also faced the gallows when his life of crime came to an abrupt end after attempting to rape a woman who got away.

Neither Sveinn Bjornsson nor his son, though, were the most notorious men in the family. Sveinn's father, Bjorn Petursson, managed to go down as one of the few reported Icelandic serial killers in history. Bjorn lived on the Snaefesslnes peninsula on the farm of Oxl. It was here that he showcased the inner demons that would follow his family for generations.

Bjorn's story is easily one of the most difficult to track due to the intermingling of fact and folklore. On the conservative end, he killed nine travelers who had the misfortune of passing by his farm. He took all of his victims' possessions in the process. Folklore that's made it down through the ages, however, puts his victim count closer to 18.

There's also contention on where Bjorn hid his victims' bodies. The corpses were either buried on his farm or thrown into a nearby pond. Even his manner of death is up for debate. Folklore states that Bjorn's bones were broken shortly before he was dismembered and beheaded. These tales go on to say that his body parts were then mounted on poles.

Since Bjorn was executed in 1596, it's not difficult to imagine that this form of punishment could have occurred. After all, the world was a much different place back then. Under Icelandic law of the time, however, this punishment would not have likely been allowed.

So while the historical facts are clouded, it's clear that Axlar-Bjorn -- simply translated "Bjorn from Oxl" -- killed at least nine people before he was finally captured. His wife may have also been implicated in the murders had she not been pregnant with their son Sveinn at the time.

The most telling aspect of this Icelandic murderer, though, is that his son and grandson were both malevolent men as well. It's a testament to the strength of modern-day serial killers' offspring that they've not followed in their parents' footsteps. Because if nothing else, Bjorn Petursson proved that evil can be hereditary.

 

When Beauty becomes the Beast

In a perfect world, serial killers would be as ugly on the outside as they are on the inside. This alone might preclude anyone granting these killers the ill-placed trust that ultimately leads to their own demise. Unfortunately, this simply isn't the case, and Catalina de los Rios y Lisperguer proved this throughout much of the 17th Century.

Catalina was born into an aristocratic family in Chile around 1604, and she would eventually earn the nickname La Quintrala. This name might have derived from a genus of red-flowered mistletoe, but it's unknown whether it was because of her beautiful red hair or because she whipped slaves with the plant's branches. Her captivating looks, though, were in no way indicative of her true self.

Catalina's family owned numerous plots of land throughout Santiago, and these lands were tended by slaves and "inquilinos." These individuals were similar to serfs or sharecroppers. Sadly, they resided in a social class far below Catalina's, so when their tortured bodies started showing up on her land, little was done about the murders.

In fact, authorities knew what Catalina was doing all along, but due to her social class and that of those below her, she was merely fined for her gruesome actions. This isn't to say that she wasn't brought before justice; it just so happens that her sister-in-law was a prominent judge at the time. Not so coincidentally, Catalina never faced punishment for her actions.

It wasn't simply those beneath her, though, that felt the rage of Catalina. In fact, it's believed that she murdered her own father when she was 18 years old. Unlike her other murders, however, she ended her father by placing poison into the chicken she had cooked for him.

Catalina is also remembered for her promiscuity and insatiable sexual appetite, but it didn't prove beneficial for any man to fall for her seductive looks. She ended the lives of several of her lovers, and it's believed that she framed a slave for one of these murders. That poor slave would go on to be executed for the crime.

Eventually, La Quintrala was arrested and charged with 40 murders. Due to her familial connections and wealth, however, the trial stagnated until she was simply released. As was the case with many wealthy murderers throughout history, she was never held accountable for her crimes.

Although her body count is conservatively placed around 40, the fact that she killed mostly the disregarded individuals of lower social classes means her number of victims could be in the hundreds. Sadly, this count also includes priests and those who tried to set her on a path opposite of her murderous ways.

Catalina died in 1665, and to this day, visitors can see the Cristo de Mayo crucifix that was held in her home after the deadly Santiago earthquake of 1647. Unlike her victims, she died a natural death. And although much of the world doesn't know who she is, Catalina still exists within the popular culture of Chile.

La Quintrala is seen today as the quintessential symbol of Spanish oppression in Chile. In 1955, a movie based on the evil seductress was released in Argentina, but the film may be even less renowned than its real-life titular character. A forgettable end to an unchecked and unpunished life of maliciousness.

 

Money buys power...

Those who are wealthy have always found some measure of leniency when it comes to the law. Money has the uncanny ability to make authorities look the other way. Unfortunately for several boys in 5th century Yemen, Zu Shenatir was wealthy enough to get away with his heinous crimes, and this was all while becoming one of the first recorded serial killers.

Zu Shenatir used his money for more than evading imprisonment; he also used it to lure his victims. The wealthy man would offer food and money to young boys who were hungry. When they would arrive at his home, which some have referred to as a palace, he sodomized the boys before taking them to the windows on the upper floor of his home.

It was there that he tossed his victims out the windows to the ground below. Unfortunately, Shenatir is so deeply buried in history that his total number of victims is unknown, but it was his sick drive to continue his evil ways which would prove to be his undoing.

After luring one final boy to his home, a boy which some historical texts have referred to as Zerash, Zu Shenatir's life would come to an unexpected and highly ironic end. Before the young boy could become the murderer's next victim, he stabbed his wealthy attacker in the anus.

He would die from this wound, and young Zerash would become one of the few boys to exit the home via the front door.

 

Murder under the moonlight

When children in the small French town of Dole began disappearing or turning up dead in the early 1570s, local authorities were sure a werewolf was to blame. Provincial authorities believed this so much, in fact, that they issued an edict which gave citizens the right to apprehend the werewolf -- dead or alive.

There's no telling how many people made an effort to track down this so-called werewolf, but when several men from a nearby town came across a shadowy figure hunched over a child's body, they immediately thought it was the monster that had been terrorizing the town. As the figure became more clear, however, it became obvious that it wasn't a werewolf at all.

It was Gilles Garnier.

Garnier, now sometimes referred to as "The Werewolf of Dole" or "The Hermit of St. Bonnot," lived a life of solitude outside of the town. He long survived as a hermit, so when he finally married, he was abruptly confronted with having to care for more than just himself. Unfortunately, this didn't bode well for local children.

In October 1572, Garnier dragged a 10-year-old girl into a vineyard where he strangled her, stripped her naked and consumed flesh from her arms and thighs. Having satiated himself, he took some of the young girl's flesh back home to his wife. This was only the beginning of his murderous journey.

Only weeks after his first attack, possibly emboldened by not being captured, he attacked another young girl. He would be interrupted in his task, though, when people happened to walk by. The young girl didn't die immediately, but the wounds she sustained from Garnier's bites and scratches would kill her only days later.

As November came around, the monster would attack a 10-year-old boy, and after eating the skin of his belly and thighs, he tore off the child's leg and took it with him. His last victim was another young boy who he strangled, but he didn't get the chance to consume his flesh thanks to passersby stumbling upon the incident.

When Garnier was apprehended, he confessed to murdering the local children. He claimed that he had been confronted by a specter in the woods while hunting for food. In his words, this entity provided him with an ointment which could transform a person into a wolf. He said he accepted the offer so that hunting for he and his wife would be easier. For this confession, Garnier was convicted of "crimes of lycanthropy and witchcraft."

There's little doubt that Garnier was crazy, but whether his specter story was based on delusions or an attempt to garner leniency by shifting blame to the supernatural, we may never know. What we do know is that the killing career of Gilles Garnier came to a fiery end on January 18, 1573 when provincial authorities burned him at the stake.

 

Mother of all evil

Even though most don't even know her name, Luisa de Jesus holds an integral place in history: she was the final woman to ever officially be executed in Portugal. Though her youthful age, only 22 years old at the time, and her brutal execution might make some pity the girl, this sympathy quickly flies out the window once her crimes are known.

In 1198, an invention known as the foundling wheel came into popular use. This object worked much like a revolving door and allowed mothers to anonymously abandon their babies in the safety of a church. Pope Innocent III promoted these devices because they could reduce the incidence of infanticide. At the time, mothers who didn't want their babies simply threw them into the river.

The fact that foundling wheels were meant to save infant lives makes Luisa de Jesus's story all the more ironic; because she instead used the devices in her plans to murder them. In the Portuguese city of Coimbra, children who were left in the foundling wheel were adopted out, and those who adopted them were given 600 reis, the currency during the late 1700s.

Somehow, no one seemed to notice that Luisa was repeatedly coming back to the wheel to adopt more infants. Some sources say that several infant bodies were found buried nearby and that authorities figured out Luisa was to blame, but regardless of whether this aspect is true or not, the young woman's crimes were eventually discovered.

During her killing spree, Luisa would simply visit the foundling wheel, adopt an infant, secure the money for doing so and then murder the child. Upon her capture, she admitted to poisoning 28 of the children as she adopted them. She would keep the 600 reis, meant to care for the infant, to herself. In all, authorities believe she killed 33 babies under her care.

Her youthful age didn't do much to save Luisa. After her confession, she was sentenced to death. It's told that on July 1, 1772, Luisa was dragged through the streets of the town as a form of humiliation. She was then either hung at the gallows or strangled via the execution device known as the garrote.

Her punishment did not stop there. After being strangled, Luisa's body was burned in full view of the public eye. It was undoubtedly a slow and painful execution, but it's one that Portuguese authorities thought was appropriate considering her heinous crimes. If it was to be the last female execution in the country, they surely did go out with a bang.

 

The Forgotten One

At different times in its history, Paris was known as either the "City of Love" or the "City of Lights." Near the end of 1598, however, it was neither. It was this year that children began disappearing seemingly into thin air. Suspicion soon fell onto one man: the Demon Tailor.

Details are scant on the Demon Tailor, also known as the Werewolf of Chalons. This lack of information, though, isn't due to the more than 400 years that have since passed. It's because, unlike the rest of the serial killers mentioned before, the Demon Tailor was actually given the penalty of being erased from history.

The tailor had become a suspect after dozens of children went missing in the area. Upon searching the man's Parisian shop, authorities discovered barrels filled with bleached bones. In addition to these bones, more evidence was discovered which remaining records only refer to as "other foul items."

This discovery quickly led to the Demon Tailor's arrest, and the story he told was even worse than what authorities at the time could have imagined. He described how he lured children into his shop before killing them. He went into detail of how, when he couldn't lure youngsters in, he would venture through the woods until he found one to steal.

Unlike some serial killers, the tailor showed no remorse. Instead, he proudly provided grisly details that Parisian authorities would likely have never discovered but for his calculated recounting of them. It was as if he wanted everyone to know just how much his victims suffered prior to their deaths.

In his confession, the killer spoke of how he would torture the children that he brought to his shop. He recounted how he raped his victims while subjecting them to his torturous methods. After making the children suffer, he would slit their throats and begin dismembering their bodies -- although some sources say that the dismemberment began before the victims took their final breaths.

After this brutal routine was complete, the killer would then consume the flesh of the children. All of these vile details led authorities to decide that the man's name should never be spoken again. They wanted him erased -- forever. So when they tied him to the stake and set him aflame, they made sure that all records and documents pertaining to the case went with him.

The man's name and the names of the several dozen children he consumed were purposely lost to history. The crimes that he was so proud of would never again be linked to his name thanks to the punishment of damnatio memoriae. The continued existence of his story, though, teaches us an important truth:

It's one thing to erase the worst monstrosities from the face of human history; it's quite another to make sure they're forgotten.