Charles Sobhraj has spent most of his adult life behind the bars but the crimes he committed before that, allow him to retain the unideal position of one of the most intriguing criminals on the planet.
The guy is said to be a virtual shapeshifter, earning him the title of ‘The Serpent’, which is also the name of the Netflix show based on his life.
Now, those who have followed his journey even against their will, are aware of his affairs and how he could apparently charm women to the point where they seemed hypnotised.
One of these women was Marie-Andrée Leclerc, Charles’ Canadian girlfriend and supposed accomplice in his crimes.
Charles and Marie reportedly met in Thailand in 1975, though there are theories that suggest they had come across each other once before that.
Anyway, the two fell in love, as Marie was also a part of the ‘hippie trail’ in which Charles allegedly killed 12 backpackers.
They couldn’t do it for much longer, though, as the two were caught by the police in 1976. Marie was charged with 2 murders, and convicted for one in 1980.
However, she was released from the jail on condition that she will not leave India. Which is not something that could pan out because Marie was diagnosed with ovarian cancer soon.
In 1983, she was allowed to return to Canada, and she passed away in 1984 at the age of 38.
Meanwhile, Sobhraj was in jail from 1976 to 1997. He was actually supposed to be released after 12 years but the man celebrated his ’10-year-anniversary’ of being in prison, drugged inmates with sleeping pills and walked out.
For this, his term was increased by another 10 years which was exactly his plan. Charles did not want to get out earlier than that because the Thailand government was after him and would have had him executed.
He led a lavish life in jail, was released ultimately due to lack of evidence but was captured again in 2003 and remains behind the bars.
Coming back to Marie, it is not known for sure why she did what she did. Some people say she was under pressure to follow Charles’ orders, while others suggest that she was so madly in love with him that she’d do anything to be near him.
We may never know what actually happened.