Where is Stéphane Bourgoin now? Details explored ahead of Killer Lies: Chasing a True Crime Con Man

Season one of Killer Lies: Chasing a True Crime Con Man will tell the story of Stéphane Bourgoin the self-acclaimed true crime expert.

Killer Lies: Chasing a True Crime Con Man is a three-part documentary which will air on National Geographic on August 28, 2024, at 8 p.m. EST. The synopsis for the same reads as follows:

"The New Yorker’s Lauren Collins tracks the rise and fall of a serial killer expert, whose dark lies are exposed by his sleuthing fans."

Stéphane Bourgoin is a French True crime author helming from Paris. Even after finding fame in the late 90s because of his books, interviews with killers, various documentaries, and more, Stéphane’s reign did not last long. His life was filled with lies that were eventually exposed, after which he was forced to stay away from the limelight. Bourgoin currently resides in France.

Follow along to know more about how Stéphane Bourgoin failed himself and his followers.

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Stéphane Bourgoin's increased interest in true crime and serial killers led to his downfall

Reportedly, Stéphane Bourgoin was a man of many lies. He was a high school dropout, who was expelled multiple times. After being a writer for numerous B movies and horror films, Stéphane came down to the US in 1974 and found a job as an assistant in a few por*ographic films. Apart from that, he also ran a small bookshop of mysteries and crime.

Reportedly, Stéphane had taken an interest in true crime and serial killers and was obsessed with it. His folks were often impressed because he would memorize killers' names, their murder victims, dates of killings, and everything related to the cases, making him the ultimate wiki for true crime.

However, little did anyone know that his whole life was based on a lie and he was a con artist. As per reports, Stéphane along with a French filmmaker made a serial killer documentary for which he interviewed Ottis Toole and Ed Kemper, two notorious killers. While interviewing them, it was evident that he was excited to hear their stories.

Over time, Stéphane published more than 75 books, featured in multiple documentaries, and also started accumulating followers on social media. However, his reign did not last long as an online group called 'Fourth Eye' was formed to banish him and expose him for his lies.

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Stéphane Bourgoin owned up to his lies in 2021

Reportedly, the 'Fourth Eye' discovered that Stéphane became an expert in crime by reading books and had no real credibility. His claims of his wife being r*ped and murdered by a serial killer, his being a neighbor to famous author Stephen King, and all the killers he claimed to have interviewed were found false. His career was based on deception and lies. When the Fourth Eye started exposing his lies, he commented on it and initially called it harassment.

However, Stéphane Bourgoin eventually confessed to several media outlets in 2021 that most of his claims and stories were made up including the murder and r*pe of his wife and him interviewing American criminal Charles Manson.

He admitted to his pathological lying tendencies in a May 2020 interview with La Parisien in which he said,

“I completely admit my fault. I’m ashamed of having lied, of having concealed things. All these lies are objectively ridiculous because if you assess my work objectively, it was enough by itself.”

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To know more about this case, watch season one episode one of Killer Lies: Chasing a True Crime Con Man titled 'Murder, He Wrote' on on August 28, 2024.