Charles Sobhraj – the Bikini killer undone by overconfidence

  

 

Charles Sobhraj, known as the Bikini Killer, the Splitting Killer and the Serpent, is a French serial killer of Vietnamese and Indian origin who preyed on Western tourists throughout Southeast Asia during the 1970s as well as having an extensive career as a thief. Reckoned to be a psychopath he’s now finally in a Nepalese prison doing life.

Born 4 April 1944 10pm? Saigon, Vietnam, from a broken home, he started down a criminal path early, was skilled at deception, evasion – ‘a cunning and cultured personality’ – and bribing prison guards to give him a luxurious life during one term inside and allegedly committed at least a dozen murders to sustain his adventurous lifestyle. At one point he was a celebrity in Paris, charging large amounts of money for interviews and film rights; and has been the subject of four books and three documentaries. Overconfidence led to his final downfall in returning to Nepal and getting nabbed.

At first glance his chart doesn’t look overly brutal. He has an attention-seeking 5th house Aries Sun trine Pluto, North Node and Jupiter in Leo – so has self-confidence aplenty and determination. His Neptune in the 10th fitted him for a slippery career as a scam merchant and squaring Mars would give him a taste of publicity and pzazz.

His midpoints are fairly bleak and unfeeling with a hint of violence from Uranus = Mars/Pluto and Pluto = Mars/Uranus. And his Sun and Moon both aspect Saturn and Pluto, so he probably lacked empathy from a tough early start in life. Though psychopaths aren’t just about nurture deficiencies. There has to be a genetic or wiring malfunction which blots out the ability to relate.

His 18th Harmonic, usually aspected with serial killers has Saturn Pluto amplified. His self-destructive 16H and appearing -in-the-history-books 17H are strong. His none-too-well-balanced 7H and obsessive 11H both have afflicted Mars.

He was as much a conman and fraudster as he was a murderer, and the killings seemed to be more a means to an end than for sadistic pleasure.  In one case he poisoned his victims – a Neptunian tactic.

The harmonics usually show up a potential for going bad when it isn’t obvious from the natal chart; those plus midpoints.

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