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French Killers Inspired By Breaking Bad TV Show
hcs_$reboot writes: Four people who planned to dissolve a young French woman's body in acid were inspired by hit US TV show Breaking Bad. Two men went to the woman's house to settle a €6,000 drug debt. There, they beat her violently, killing her through a blow to the skull. Later, they bought acid in order to dissolve her body. The victim's body was found decomposing in a flat in Toulouse on Monday night, after having being cut up into pieces, covered in cling film and shoved into a suitcase. Chlorine acid had been used to try and disguise any trace of the corpse. A similar "decomposition" scenario is featured in season one of Breaking Bad (2008-2013).
People have been dissolving bodies in acid for a long time. Unless they specifically quoted breaking bad as inspiration, drawing this connection is quite ridiculous, and pretty much just click bait.
People have been dissolving bodies in acid for a long time. Unless they specifically quoted breaking bad as inspiration, drawing this connection is quite ridiculous, and pretty much just click bait.
Actually, yes, in the 2nd link. RTFA for chrissake
The prosecutor explained that the suspects had been inspired by a US TV show Breaking Bad, where the lead characters use Hydrofluoric acid - a highly corrosive acid - to dissolve the bodies of their victims
Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
How long would it have taken to google the correct way to dissolve a body?
At least they didn't use HFl in a steel bath tub.
RTFA for chrissake
Whoa whoa whoa. You're going to have to take that article reading shit outside, mmkay?
We don't do that here.
It appears an efficient way to dissolve a body is alkaline hydrolysis; use potassium hydroxide, add heat and pressure, go drink a couple of coffees, you're done, deal with the goo. Legal as a cremation substitute for a couple of years now in some North American regions.
the famous scene in breaking bad has to do with hydrofluoric acid, not "chlorine acid" (assuming they mean hydrochloric acid)
in the breaking bad scene, jesse puts the body in a bathtub, instead of a plastic bin like he was was instructed to by walt. HF, unlike HCl, dissolves glass and ceramics. and so the partially dissolved body comes crashing through the ceiling
http://breakingbad.wikia.com/w...
mythbusters busted this though:
http://www.today.com/popcultur...
there is a nice combination of acids that apparently works great for dissolving bodies, but neither mythbusters nor breaking bad is going to tell us (probably some mix of acids, paying attention to the molar concentrations)
furthermore, the mafia has been dissolving bodies in acid for decades. breaking bad did not invent the concept, and these french goons did not necessarily get the idea form breaking bad
so the connection of this crime to breaking bad is complete bullshit, invented by some reporter who doesn't know his history of organized crime and is only familiar with tv shows
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Just uncreative idiots. Besides, the dissolve in acid gag is on a show or movie about every other year. It's been around since before color tv. It was even in those ancient radio dramas, or serials, or whatever they called those audio only shows from before tv. I wouldn't be surprised if it was in print before radio.
Of course, idiots will do all kinds of stupid things, even without tv, just look at any history book.
That doesnt mean the criminals were actually inspired by Breaking Bad. That only means the prosecutor saw Breaking Bad and assumed the criminals were copying that. Lets not forget that breaking bad was inspired by REAL LIFE when they wrote that part in. Find me a reliable quote from the actual offenders where they say they were inspired by Breaking Bad. Then your statement will be correct.
WW and Jesse wear a mask when they clean the body (that fell from the ceiling).
Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
People have been dissolving bodies in acid for a long time. Unless they specifically quoted breaking bad as inspiration, drawing this connection is quite ridiculous, and pretty much just click bait.
Actually, yes, in the 2nd link. RTFA for chrissake
The prosecutor explained that the suspects had been inspired by a US TV show Breaking Bad, where the lead characters use Hydrofluoric acid - a highly corrosive acid - to dissolve the bodies of their victims
The prosecutor said it, so it must be legit.
--- Keep the choice with the user..
That was my thought too. When I hear "dissolving bodies in acid" I immediately thought of the Snowtown murders, not Breaking Bad.
55 gallon plastic drum only and hydrofluoric acid. Do not wrap the body first. Did no one take notes during Breaking Bad?
All of which are indirect references to John George Haigh, an actual murderer who did use acid to destroy the bodies of his victims. He used concentrated sulfuric, and it worked very well. The police couldn't even identify most of the remains as a corpse, and certainly not identify it. They only succeeded with one, because the victim wore acid-proof artificial dentures. That was the only part to survive in recognizable form.
Yes, according to their lawyer, Gaul Goodman.
This is sensationalistic news. Look at the components: drugs, a murdered young woman, gruesome botched corpse disposal and a violent TV show known world wide. Who give a crap about anything else? Not the people who wrote the story and not the people viewing it. Trying to see if any of it makes sense is just spoiling everyone's fun.
It could turn out that the story was scrambled and what really happened was that a dispute over clipping a hedge lead to the death of a pet dog and someone tried to get rid of the evidence in the trash and nobody would care. Nothing could of happened and it was all made up and nobody would care. A retraction could be printed, but it would in microscopic text two weeks later in the margin of the obituaries and it wouldn't make any difference. The story got a headline, some people took the bait and read it and that is all that counts.
Grow up. Thinking about news is obsolete.
Why is Snark Required?
Nukes are an awfully expensive way to dispose of a corpse unless you've got some sort of batch processing going on.
Strong bases would work just fine for breaking down protein. Then you take the bones and digest them in the acid of your choice.
Shit, even StackExchange will help you dispose of a body.
True.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
"The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
Me too.
And they got the idea to use cling film from a Saran Wrap commercial. So let's blame them as well. ;)
Care killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
So, anyone who watched Breaking Bad or Pulp Fiction is now a suspect, too.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
And before books existed, our stone men anchestors told each othet stories about murderers dumping their victims into bogs at the camp fire.
In England, dissolving the corpse with acid to destroy evidence is generally synonymous with John George Haigh (AKA the 'acid bath' killer), who predated the Snowtown murders. We see Breaking Bad as derivative!
Washing power dissolves tissue much much better.
Presumably the bio stuf, not the non bio. I'm guessing you need the enzymes, not the surfactants.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
Peanuts, and a trombone.
The film La Femme Nikita by Luc Benson (1990) is famous for the scene where the cleaner guy uses acid to dissolve a body. It's even french.
--
Stay tuned for some shock and awe coming right up after this messages!
You're watching how drugs are made and how murders are committed, what do you expect? Of course you're clearly doing this for educational purposes so you know how to do it yourself.
Doesn't matter whether in either case the writers or actors know anything about the processes involved or whether they deliberately made it so you could not simply "follow their steps" to succeed. You tried to acquire knowledge that you don't need to do your job. You're a criminal.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Did the suspects tell him or did he assume they learned it from there?
BIG difference.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
aqua regia. It's so much more... refined.
To quote a friend of mine who works with large quantities of chemicals at times, "If you like to grow old in the job, you have some healthy respect for most concentrated acids. HF, you fear. No matter the concentration."
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Knowledge is a weapon. Thought is a crime.
Depends entirely on whether you're mixing mortar or a cocktail.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Using acids (or bases, for that matter) on organic matter usually results in some rather unpleasant odors. I would certainly NOT recommend doing something like this in a place where I (or anyone) has to breathe. Yes, the fumes are also toxic, but you go willingly yourself FAR, FAR away from where it happens simply because the stench drives you out.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Hence the dissolving bathtub scene. Probably the French can't get their hands on hydrofluoric acid.
And you thought lutafisk was gross.
Pigs work better and faster. Feed a body to the pigs and you might end up with a few teeth in pigshit, nothing more. Use the pigshit to fertilize some fields, and the body is just gone.
Dissolving tissue in bathtubs, etc, just leaves evidence in the trap, the pipes, (probably) in the bathroom and tub, and "weeks" is a lot of exposure.
All good drug dealers need to invest in a hog farm. It's worth it even when you don't have bodies to dispose of! Tasty bacon!
Even when the experts all agree, they may well be mistaken. --- Bertrand Russell.
Messages for murderers, News that splatters.
Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
Yeah we don't do that 'round here, boy!
Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
Hence the dissolving bathtub scene. Probably the French can't get their hands on hydrofluoric acid.
It's very nasty stuff and not available in bulk from your local hardware. Apparently burns are very bad because it soaks through tissue to quickly attack bone (could be bullshit to scare students but it's oft repeated). I've used it a bit to etch glass and some aluminium alloys, but for the later hot concentrated caustic soda is far less to worry about instead. There have been a few oil refinery accidents with clouds of HF vapour - white cloud coming out of the gear that uses it means run like hell and let people wrapped in plastic deal with it later.
That was my thought too. When I hear "dissolving bodies in acid" I immediately thought of the Snowtown murders, not Breaking Bad.
Come to South Australia - it's barrels of fun!
Too soon?
Splashed on the floor some way from you and some time ago is like having an open bottle of the stuff and is not going to be "breathed in as gas". Where it is a vapour problem has been in oil refinery accidents where a cloud of the stuff has been blown out under pressure - a white cloud means run like hell.
Thanks for clarifying this. When I want to know the motives of an alleged criminal was really thinking, I find that the prosecuting attorney is usually the best source to figure that out, mainly because of a lack of any bias whatsoever.
Yes it's dangerous but I suggest a bit of reality instead of Hollywood shit designed to scare students into treating it with respect. Reality is bad enough without pretending it's movie Nitro.
A spill on your skin can mean the bone underneath with start dissolving very soon with no way to stop it until the reaction is complete - isn't that scary enough without Hollywood physics?
One of the many dozens of crappy police procedurals also featured this trope in the last few years, where two guys were disposing of bodies by sealing them in 55 gallon drums of acid, and the one guy ends up killing the other because he wouldn't stop boasting about it, completely defeating the purpose.
I heard that the producers of Heathers were sued by some Columbine victims' families, but I couldn't find a source when I searched a few minutes ago. If I remember correctly it was dismissed.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
Not HCl either. The thing is, a human body is made of all kinds of substances, and no one acid could break down all of them. HF is a very weak acid, but it is really good at breaking down substances high in Calcium, i.e. bone. HS would break down the skin pretty well. Etc.
A major stumbling block you're going to run into though is that any strong chemical reaction is going to be highly endothermic. That is, it's going to produce a LOT of heat. That said, you can surely expect not only a very strong smell of the different chemicals you're using, but if you used strong enough acids, you're going to see smoke as well, maybe even fire.
Acid is perhaps the worst way to dispose of a body that I could think of. Not only do you have to get the formula right, but it wouldn't be a clean process at all.
Oops, sorry, meant to say exothermic rather than endothermic.
That sounds more like something meant to scare you, which is actually quite dangerous when dealing with HF, because you should be aware of the actual dangers and problems it can cause.
HF is a rather weak acid compared to some of the other strong inorganic acids. It can etch glass, but the reaction is not particularly fast. If you spill it on you, you won't get an immediate massive burn like you would with other acids, and in fact, if you wash it off quickly, won't notice much of an injury. But it absorbs through the skin, and a big problem with exposure to enough, is it will react with sodium and calcium in the body, which can mess up the firing of muscles and cause a heart attack.
The advice I've heard, from people with experience on accidents (luckily no actual injury, but just seeing what doctors do), is to literally staple a copy of the MSDS to the person who has been exposed. Unless a doctor is familiar with it, which is uncommon, they hear acid, and treat people for burns on the skin. This can be pretty mild in some large exposures sometimes, so they consider it a minor situation and send a person out thinking they are ok as long as the skin damage is not bad. But instead, they should be monitoring the person's heart, and supplying them with an IV to keep things like sodium and calcium at the right levels in the body.
The HF reference in Breaking Bad made some of my coworkers laugh. If you asked them what the scariest acid they've had to work with is, they would probably all say HF, but it is not because it does such a great job of eating through everything in its path like the blood in Alien.
https://youtu.be/u3qy4Zv4snI?t=1m1s "Never trust a man with a pig farm..."
Don't forget Wu's pigs on Deadwood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... http://deadwood.wikia.com/wiki...
Bingo.
I worked in academic organic chemistry for quite a few years, and was constantly spooked by some of the careless and dangerous things organic chemists would do to speed things up. And got to see a few ambulances pull up after things went "boom". The one thing all the organic chemists were afraid of though was the pure hydrogen fluoride our lab was working with daily. People who do peptide chemistry treat their HF apparatus like an airplane: preflight safety checks every time. If we had ever had an exposure (no accidents while I was working there), we had 4l bottles of magnesium sulfate to douse ourselves with and calcium gluconate gel right at the hood. I also had MSDS and current standards of care attached to the fume hood and sterile injectable calcium gluconate, all to be brought with us to the ER. I also kept the phone number for the ER handy - and the phone number for the president our our research institute. He's a chemist and knows the president of the hospital we would be taken to, which I hoped would provide some leverage in getting the ER up to speed before the ambulance arrived.
Ugh:
Forensic analysis proved difficult because the bodies may have been left to decompose or be eaten by insects and pigs on the farm. During the early days of the excavations, forensic anthropologists brought in heavy equipment, including two 50-foot (15-meter) flat conveyor belts and soil sifters to find traces of remains. On March 10, 2004, it was revealed that Pickton may have ground up human flesh and mixed it with pork that he sold to the public; the province's health authority later issued a warning. Another claim was made that he fed the bodies directly to his pigs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
There are both topical and injectable things that will stop the reaction. Stuff like calcium gluconate can be injected locally to stop and sometimes even prevent damage that would appear a day or two later, while an IV for large exposures will help keep your nervous system and heart working. The only sucky part is that the absorption of calcium from HF can help remove pain from some of the damage it does, so it hurts more to restore nerve function in the area.
They should have watched Snatch and found themselves a hog farm.
"You need at least 16 pigs to finish the job in one sitting, so be wary of any man who keeps a pig farm."
Back in my days we used to wrap the bodies in chicken wire with some stones and dump them in the deep ends of rivers.
A real crime story filed in the entertainment category?
I'd forgotten the above, someone please mod it up.
Breaking Bad's writers were too criminally inventive :-)
It's little things like this that remind us how US Healthcare is really fucked up in a banana republic kind of way. It should not matter who rings the ER and gives them a heads-up on an incoming industrial accident case.
http://pipeline.corante.com/ar...
nuke, corpse acquisition and disposal all in one easy step.
I don't know, I think concentrated sulfuric acid would do a pretty good job on the human body. Maybe you'd have a few bits left over, but probably not much. And if you're worried about exothermic reactions, just freeze the body parts beforehand.
I don't think there is a clean way to get rid of a body. Burying it maybe, but that does leave more evidence behind, and you still have to dig (or get someone to do it for you).
Examine even your most deeply held beliefs. Nobody is always right.