The Paris Bluebeard: The Life & Lies of Marcel Petiot

The Paris Bluebeard: The Life & Lies of Marcel Petiot

Author: Ben Cutmore October 21, 2025 Duration: 1:30:16
In the shadows of war-torn Paris, a charming young doctor lived a double life. Physician by day, and resistance fighter by night, his underground network promised salvation to those desperate to escape the Nazi grip. But in a time where trust was at a premium, the truth was not necessarily as it seemed. When Dr. Marcel Petiot’s home at 21 Rue Le Sueur became a concern to his neighbours as a sickly smelling smoke rose from his furnace, the illusion began to unravel. A resistance fighter, a Gestapo set up, or the scene of countless heinous crimes, the truth was as complicated to the police as it was for those who knew the doctor's friendly smile, and kind bedside manner. SOURCES King, David (2011) Death in the City of Light. Little Brown Book Group, London, UK. Liverpool Echo (1944) Death House Doctor Hunt. Liverpool Echo, Mon 13 March 1944, p3. Liverpool, UK. Rosbotton, Ronald C. (2015) When Paris Went Dark: The City of Light Under German Occupation, 1940-1944. Back Bay Books, NY, USA.The Standard (1946) Dr Petiot Executed In Paris. The Standard, Sat 25 May 1946, p12. London, UK. ------ For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at ⁠⁠⁠darkhistories.com ⁠⁠⁠ Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: ⁠⁠⁠http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠ or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠ The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: ⁠⁠⁠http://author.to/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠ Dark Histories merch is available here: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3GChjk9⁠⁠⁠ Connect with us on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast⁠⁠⁠ Or find us on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠http://twitter.com/darkhistories⁠⁠⁠ & Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/⁠⁠⁠ Or you can contact us directly via email at ⁠⁠⁠contact@darkhistories.com⁠⁠⁠ or join our Discord community: ⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf⁠⁠⁠ The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every two weeks, Ben Cutmore invites you into the shadowy corners of our past, where facts blur with folklore and case files remain stubbornly open. Dark Histories is less a lecture and more an exploration, weaving meticulous research into compelling narratives that linger long after the episode ends. You’ll hear detailed accounts of events that defy easy explanation, from long-forgotten crimes and bizarre hoaxes to oddities that shaped societies. The focus is always on the human stories within these enigmatic tales, told with a careful balance of skepticism and an appreciation for the strange. This isn't just about ghosts or monsters, but the very real, often unsettling peculiarities documented throughout history. Each installment of this podcast feels like piecing together a puzzle where some pieces are forever missing, offering no easy answers but plenty to ponder. It’s for anyone who finds themselves drawn to the edges of the map, where the documented record meets the unexplained. Settle in for a journey through the archives of the bizarre and the unresolved, where every story is a reminder that the past is rarely as simple as it seems.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Dark Histories
Podcast Episodes
The Spirit of Old Jeffery: John Wesley & The Epworth Poltergeist [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:39
Over the Christmas of 1716, during a time of political tension and uncertainty in England, strange events began to trouble Epworth Rectory. After nightfall, the home of Reverend Samuel Wesley was disturbed by unexplained…
The Whaleship Essex & The Real Life Story of Moby Dick [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:52
In the summer of 1819, the whaleship Essex set sail from Nantucket, chasing fortune across the vast and indifferent Pacific. What began as a routine whaling voyage soon veered into a nightmare, however, when the hunted b…
Flying Carrots & Little Divers: The French UFO Wave of 1954 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:36
In the autumn of 1954, France found itself gripped by a strange and unnerving spectacle. From quiet rural villages to bustling towns and cities, witnesses reported everything from flying discs, cigars and carrots, to lit…
Yesterday Today - 09/11 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:29
In this week's episode of Yesterday Today I had a bit of a dive into teh murder of Mary Jane Kelly and how it was presented in the London papers, along with a few other oddities, like Barnaby and Burgho the bloodhounds a…
The Martins Croft Poltergeist: The Devil of Ylöjärvi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:27
In the frozen landscape of Finnish winter, 1885, the quiet croft of Efraim Martin in Ylöjärvi became the center of local attention thanks to a series of unexplainable events that saw almost the entire neighbourhood crowd…
Yesterday Today  - 05/10 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:53
This week we continue to look into the press around the time of Jack the Ripper and dig up a extremely peculiar story that's never really explained at all, about mysterious disappearing bread. Yep. ------ For almost anyt…
A Time Slip in Versailles: The Moberly-Jourdain Incident [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:28
On a warm, overcast summer’s day of 1901, two English school mistresses strolled through the gardens of Versailles, unaware they were about to step into a defining moment in their lives. One minute in the present and the…
Ringcroft of Stocking & The Mackie Poltergeist [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:17
In 1695, a small rural, farming community of southwest Scotland was shaken by strange events at the farmhouse of Ringcroft of Stocking. What began with the shuffling around of livestock, soon escalated into unexplained n…
Yesterday Today - 07/09 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:36
This week we look into some of the press reports from the second Jack the Ripper Murder, as well as some highlights of Hitchcock's Psycho release, from 1960. There's also sea serpents, haunted houses, and wise words that…
A Boy’s Best Friend is his Mother: The Horrors of Ed Gein [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:51
Behind the doors of an isolated farmhouse on the outskirts of Plainfield, Wisconsin, a trove of macabre secrets were stashed out of sight of the locals that blurred the line between reality and nightmare. Unearthed in 19…