#clementinebarnabet

[criminol]

Clementine Barnabet, The Female Axe Killer

Clementine Barnabet was an American serial killer who killed upto 35 people.

Little is known of Barnabet's early life, she is believed to have been born around 1894 in Louisiana and to have had one brother. It has been alleged that Barnabet's father was abusive.

Barnabet's killings typically followed the same pattern; she would murder entire families, in one case slaying both parents and four children, and use an axe to butcher her victims and decapitate them. Her first murder is though to have been in 1911.

A full confession for 35 murders was made by the killer who spoke of her connection to the Church of Sacrifice and stated that a priestess had granted her supernatural powers to make her undetectable by the authorities also speaking about her introduction to voodoo. She cited this as the reason behind her murders. Barnabet also claimed she had followers and did not work alone. Clementine told detectives about her belief that human sacrifice would gain her immortality and added that victims were chosen at random and that children were murdered 'for their own good,' and to prevent them from being left as orphans. She is said to have smiled and happily recounted her crimes.

At just 18 years old, in October 1912, Clementine Barnabet was sentenced to life in prison, she attempted escape a year later but was caught. In August 1932, she was released from prison and there is no knowledge about her whereabouts after this.