France - Dr. Frédéric Péchier accused of poisoning patients to show off his resuscitation skills - Besançon, 2008

[Clearsky]

Doctor Accused of Poisoning Patients to Show Off His Resuscitation Skills When They Went into Cardiac Arrest: Reports

A doctor in France has been accused of poisoning patients so he could show off his resuscitation skills when they went into cardiac arrest, according to reports. Frédéric Péchier went on trial on Sept. 8 following a years-long investigation.

people.com

On Monday, Sept. 8, Frédéric Péchier's trial began at the Doubs Assize Court in the eastern city of Besançon, per French outlets RTL, Le Monde and France 24.

 

[LadyL]

Doctor Accused of Poisoning Patients to Show Off His Resuscitation Skills When They Went into Cardiac Arrest: Reports

A doctor in France has been accused of poisoning patients so he could show off his resuscitation skills when they went into cardiac arrest, according to reports. Frédéric Péchier went on trial on Sept. 8 following a years-long investigation.

people.com

On Monday, Sept. 8, Frédéric Péchier's trial began at the Doubs Assize Court in the eastern city of Besançon, per French outlets RTL, Le Monde and France 24.

View attachment 613258

he and his lawyer(s) seem to think something is funny (in this picture)

 

[Flokossama]

he and his lawyer(s) seem to think something is funny (in this picture)

His lawyer, Randall Schwerdorffer, has a taste for high-profile trials. His ego easily rivals his waistline, and one only has to see him in interviews, sweating and unshaven and basking in his own theatrics, to grasp the character. Still, he remains a courtroom heavyweight, a face and a name now firmly etched in France’s legal landscape.

 

[Flokossama]

Dr. Frédéric Péchier, a French anesthesiologist from the city of Besançon in eastern France, is currently standing trial before the Doubs Assize Court. His trial began on September 8, 2025. He is accused of having poisoned between thirty and thirty-two patients, twelve of whom died, over a period spanning from 2008 to 2017.


Should he be found guilty, Péchier would rank among the most notorious serial killers in French judicial history. The evidence gathered is so compelling that police investigators, journalists, and magistrates alike appear convinced of his guilt. However, this type of crime presents a singular challenge: there are no identifiable crime scenes, no tangible traces in the traditional sense, which makes the establishment of proof remarkably complex and the judicial demonstration particularly delicate.


Many in France are following this case with intense attention, especially since the trial is expected to last for several months. Having been a Websleuths member for five years and residing part of the year in France, I thought it would be appropriate to open this thread so that we can follow the proceedings and developments of this exceptional case together.

 

[Warwick1991]

It would be interesting to open a thread dedicated to the case of Dr. Péchier. If he’s found guilty, he would become one of the worst serial killers in French history. Since I live part of the year in France, I could take care of it myself, especially as many of my fellow countrymen are following the case very closely. The trial is expected to last for several months anyway.

I think the worst serial killer in French history may have been another doctor, Dr Marcel Petiot. Petiot, one of the most devious serial killers in history, operated during WWII. His scheme was to attract people fleeing the Nazis, many of them French Jews, and to murder them in his office with injections of cyanide. He was convicted of either 24 or 26 murders, depending on the accounts, and executed in 1946, but he may have had as many as 150 victims. Suitcases and belongings of at least 50 people were found in his house. A book in English on Petiot by author David King was published in 2011, Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris.

See also: “Doctor” Marcel Petiot: Serial Murderer - PMC

 

[Flokossama]

Péchier Case | Did the anesthesiologist kill his patients?

I’m sharing a link to a documentary about the case, produced by Canal Crime, a reputable YouTube channel with nearly one million subscribers. The video is available only in French audio, but you can open the Subtitles tab where a wide range of languages is offered. I checked the English version myself and there’s no delay; the translation is remarkably good, for once.

 

[Flokossama]

I think the worst serial killer in French history may have been another doctor, Dr Marcel Petiot. Petiot, one of the most devious serial killers in history, operated during WWII. His scheme was to attract people fleeing the Nazis, many of them French Jews, and to murder them in his office with injections of cyanide. He was convicted of either 24 or 26 murders, depending on the accounts, and executed in 1946, but he may have had as many as 150 victims. Suitcases and belongings of at least 50 people were found in his house. A book in English on Petiot by author David King was published in 2011, Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris.

See also: “Doctor” Marcel Petiot: Serial Murderer - PMC

You’re absolutely right, that’s why I said one of the worst rather than the worst. In Petiot’s case there was a financial motive, while with Péchier that doesn’t seem to be the case at all. I’ve also opened a thread about Péchier in the Serial Killers section to follow the case more closely.

 

[Flokossama]

Mid August 2025


One month before the trial, Frédéric Péchier’s lawyers were already taking center stage. Not to argue in court but to complain. Thirty five thousand euros to split for three months of hearings, a sum they considered unworthy of their talent. They seemed ready to defend justice, just not at a discount. Fortunately, the media frenzy was there to balance the budget, otherwise they might have vanished before the first hearing even began.


Meanwhile, their client, once the star anesthesiologist among Besançon’s social elite, watched his life collapse. He belonged to the upper tier of French medicine, the kind who drove German cars and dined in private lounges at the Saint Vincent Clinic. Now banned from practicing and divorced, he has moved back in with his parents, living off welfare known in France as the RSA, a state allowance for those with no income.

Procès Péchier : les avocats du médecin anesthésiste menacent de se retirer, faute de rémunération suffisante

 

[Sillybilly]

Frédéric Péchier, whose trial has been taking place since September 8th before the Doubs Assize Court, admitted to the poisoning of a fourth patient while denying his involvement.

 

[iamshadow21]

I think the worst serial killer in French history may have been another doctor, Dr Marcel Petiot. Petiot, one of the most devious serial killers in history, operated during WWII. His scheme was to attract people fleeing the Nazis, many of them French Jews, and to murder them in his office with injections of cyanide. He was convicted of either 24 or 26 murders, depending on the accounts, and executed in 1946, but he may have had as many as 150 victims. Suitcases and belongings of at least 50 people were found in his house. A book in English on Petiot by author David King was published in 2011, Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris.

See also: “Doctor” Marcel Petiot: Serial Murderer - PMC

It's been years since I read the book, but it's worth the read. He was a truly diabolical predator, preying on desperate people trying to escape the Shoah. He knew they wouldn't be missed.

Joseph Vacher was up there in numbers, too, but that's even further back in time.

MOO