In his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde tells the story of a handsome young man who makes a deal with the Devil—his soul, in exchange for eternal youth and beauty. But there is a portrait of Dorian in the attic of his house, and as he moves through the years with his handsome face not aging, the portrait ages—and it also begins to show the poison seeping through him as he lives his life in soulless, selfish pursuit of hedonistic pleasures. He drives a young woman to suicide and doesn’t feel bad about it. He becomes more and more of a toxic force in the lives of the people around him. And when his friend finally calls him out on it, Dorian murders him. He couldn’t bear the fact that his best friend could see him for what he really was—the true, monstrous face behind the handsome façade. It’s a hell of a metaphor, and it’s what we’ve said so many times on our show about narcissists: that they want to indulge themselves at the expense of everybody else, but would rather die than be exposed for it. Today’s story is about a real-life Dorian Gray, a man who used his charm and charisma to lure in a talented, intelligent woman, only to throw her life into chaos and leave broken wreckage behind.

Join us live at Wet Hot Bad Magic Summer Camp in Equinunk, PA, September 10-13th! Visit ⁠badmagicproductions.com⁠ for more info and to buy tickets.

Tickets are on sale now for CrimeWave 2.0! Visit crimewaveatsea.com/CAMPFIRE to get your discount code for $100 off your cabin and a private meet-and-greet with us! The cruise is Feb. 8-12, 2027.

Sources:

I Survived: A True Story, Victoria Cilliers

ITV, "The Parachute Murder Plot with Fiona Bruce"

NPR: https://www.npr.org/2018/06/16/620531854/former-british-army-sergeant-sentenced-after-parachute-murder-attempt-of-wife

https://www.aetv.com/articles/victoria-cilliers-skydive-murder-plot

The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/may/24/shocking-betrayal-the-soldier-the-lover-and-the-sabotaged-parachute-emile-cilliers

Winchester Crown Court, Judge's Sentencing Remarks: https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/r-v-cilliers-mr-justice-sweeney-sentencing-remarks-winchester-crown-court-15-june-2018.pdf

Follow us, campers! Patreon (join to get all episodes ad-free, at least a day early, an extra episode a month, and a free sticker!): https://patreon.com/TrueCrimeCampfire https://www.truecrimecampfirepod.com/
Facebook: True Crime Campfire
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truecrimecampfire/?hl=en
Email: truecrimecampfirepod@gmail.com
MERCH! https://true-crime-campfire.myspreadshop.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices