Spookdaddy
Cuckoo
- Joined
- May 24, 2006
- Messages
- 7,957
- Location
- Midwich
McAvennie_ said:...I just discovered one recently here in Paris, the Marcel Petiot murders at 21 Rue le Sueur. When you Google Earth that address you can see it has almost certainly been demolished and a new structure put in its place.
Apparently it was demolished in the late 1950's.
I can't help wondering how easy it would have been to let the property, if at all, in post-war Paris. Petiot's murders were on a mini-industrial scale (in fact number 21 was known as the murder factory) and managed to cause a sensation (this during world war and foriegn occupation, mind - no mean feat). Petiot bought the property but put it in his son's name; as there were questions asked over the rest of the family's knowledge of his crimes, I don't think this would have helped much either.
Personally, I suspect that whoever owned the property at the time simply found it too difficult to let and cut their losses. Ironically, as is often the case with this type of redevelopment, the original basement - where Petiot disposed of some of the bodies, and the site of the crimes initial discovery - remains.
garrick92 said:Fred and Rose West's gaff was similarly Wiped From The Face Of The Earth.
I wonder which pen-pusher, in which anonymous department, gets to decide when a murder-hourse should be demolished?...
Apparently the local authority bought West's house - the proceeds going into his estate, which was being administered by the Official Solicitor for the benefit of his remaining children. Source.
I looked this up because it struck me that I'd be pretty surprised if a local authority has the power to order the demolition of a privately owned property - unless, maybe it was structurally unsafe, or the subject of a compulsory purchase.
In West's case I'm not sure a compulsory purchase would be necessary (if, indeed, one is allowed under such circumstances). I don't doubt that the reasoning was that the cash involved in the sale was of greater practical benefit to West's dependants than the house remaining in his estate.
Edit for typo.