By Thelma Carias

Name: Gilles de Laval, Baron de Rais

Born: 10-Nov-1404Birthplace: Machecoul, Brittany, FranceDied: 26-Oct-1440Cause of death: ExecutionGender: MaleReligion: Roman Catholic

Bio: Gilles de Rais is Fifteenth century child killer. Before he began his killing he was a military captain in the army lead by St Joan of Arc. Rais grew up under the care of his maternal grandfather and increased his fortune by marriage later on in his military career.

In 1438, De Rais send one of his servants to find a person who could have knowledge alchemy and demon summoning. He later found Prelati an alchemist, Having later read Prelati’s magical books de Rais try experimen satanism by summon a demon named Barron. De Rais provided a contract with the demon for riches that Prelati was soposed to give to the demon at a later time.

Gilles started his murders in spring 1432 and spring 1433.

According to history Rais lured children, mainly young boys who were blond haired and blue eyed, he will later take them to his residences, and raped, tortured and mutilated them, sometimes he would masturbate when his victims were dying.

Gilles' servant Étienne Corrillaut, known as Poitou, was an accomplice in many of the crimes and testified that his master hung his victims with ropes from a hook to prevent the child from crying out,

The victims were killed by decapitation, cutting of their throats, dismemberment, or breaking of their necks with a stick.

In his own confession, Gilles said that when the child was dead, he will kissed them and those who had the most handsome face, skin and body he held up there heads to admire them, and had their bodies cruelly cut open and took delight at the sight of their inner organs.

On May 15 1440, Rais kidnapped a cleric during a dispute at the Church of Saint-Étienne-de-Mer-Morte. The act prompted an investigation, during which evidence of Gilles' crimes was uncovered.

Rais and his servants Poitou and Henriet were arrested on 15 September 1440

They were charge with murder, sodomy, and heresy.

The number of Gilles' victims is not known, as most of the bodies were burned or buried. The number of murders is estimated to be between 80 and 200; some people think that the number of victims went up to 600. The victims ranged in age was from six to eighteen and included both sexes.

Rais and his savants were hanged and burn.

One of his servants called Etienne Corillait testified "...to practise his debauches with the boys and girls, against

the dictation of nature, he first took his rod in his hand and rubbed it so it became erect and sticking out; then placing it between the limbs of the boys or girls, not bothering with the natural female receptacle, and rubbed his rod or virile member on the belly of the boys and girls with much libidinous excitement until he emitted his sperm on their stomachs....

...he had cosiderable pleasure in watching the heads of children separated from their bodies. Sometimes he made an incision behind the neck to make them die slowly, at which he became very excited, and while they were bleeding to death he would sometimes masturbate on them, and sometimes he would do this after they had died and their bodies were still warm....

http://listverse.com/2007/08/22/top-10-evil-serial-killers/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilles_de_Rais