KATHMANDU — 1975 · Serial Murder

The Killing of Two Travellers in Kathmandu (1975)

SolvedSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

In December 1975 the bodies of an American woman tourist and a Canadian backpacker were found in Kathmandu. Investigations led to a French conman nicknamed "the Serpent", linked to the deaths of several tourists along Asia's 1970s "hippie trail". After years in prison in India for other crimes, he was recognised on the streets of Kathmandu and arrested in 2003. Kathmandu District Court sentenced him to life in 2004 for the American woman's murder; Nepal's Supreme Court upheld the ruling in 2010, and a second conviction for the Canadian traveller's death followed in 2014. He was released on grounds of age in December 2022 and deported to France.

Date: 1975
Place: Bagmati, Nepal, Kathmandu, NP
Category: Serial Murder
Case Status: Solved
Coordinates: 27.7080, 85.3200 ↗

Timeline of Events

December 1975The bodies of two foreign travellers were found in Kathmandu.
1976The killer was arrested in India on other charges and imprisoned for many years.
September 2003He was recognised and arrested in Kathmandu.

August 2004A Kathmandu court sentenced him to life imprisonment.
2014A second conviction followed for the Canadian traveller's death.
23 December 2022He was released and deported to France.

Sources

The Guardian — Serpent serial killer freed from Nepalese prison theguardian.com ↗
Al Jazeera — Timeline of the case aljazeera.com ↗
BBC News — Release from Nepal prison bbc.com ↗
The Guardian
BBC News
Al Jazeera

Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.