Meanwhile, the trial in Dijon has been filled with contradictory testimony. There will be new charges, thats for sure, a police source told the newspaper. Police think they have cracked the case when, after initially backing Laroche, Bolle changes her story and says she witnessed the kidnapping. Police subsequently question Marcel and Jaqueline Jacob, Gregory's great aunt and uncle as well as Murielle Bolle but they are freed over procedural issues. All Rights Reserved. First to be called in is Grgory's grandmother, Monique Villemin. Gregory Villemin was found drowned with his hands and feet tied in France in October 1984. The Crow said I would die of grief, Jean-Marie testified. [19] In June 2017, Bolle's cousin Patrick Faivre told police that Bolle's family had physically abused her in 1984 in order to make her recant her initial testimony against Laroche. The Week in Photos: California exits pandemic emergency amid a winter landscape, Column: Did the DOJ just say Donald Trump can be held accountable for Jan. 6? He was the child king. ", "Mother cleared in 'little Gregory' murder case", "Judge reopens case of four-year-old Gregory, murdered in 1984", "Affaire Grgory: "plusieurs personnes ont concouru" au crime", "Grgory case: Ex-investigator denounces "lies" in Murielle Bolle's book", "Affaire Grgory: l'ancien juge Jean-Michel Lambert retrouv mort", "Murielle Bolle indicted for "aggravated defamation", "A French Case, episode 5: Sublime, Forcment Sublime", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Grgory_Villemin&oldid=1139691834, This page was last edited on 16 February 2023, at 11:43. In 1985, the French newspaper Libration sent the celebrated writer Marguerite Duras to cover a sensational crime captivating France: the death of a four-year-old boy, "little Grgory," in the Vologne, a river in the east of the country. Though the couple has tried to put their past behind them by moving to a suburb near Paris, they still remain hopeful about finding Gregorys killer. And he also knew their secrets. Judge Ruyssen, son of a decorated admiral and one of the countrys most respected jurists, has vowed to find the answers. However, at one point, his wife Christine became implicated in the murder. [13] She reportedly collapsed and miscarried, losing one of the twins she was carrying shortly after being questioned by authorities. [1] [2] In an even more bizarre twist of events, the media circus began to dub her as a witch. The Guardian reports Jean-Marie immediately turned himself in and ultimately served three years in prison. Law enforcement officials found Grgory's lifeless body in the Vologne River. At around 5:30 p.m., she went outside to bring Grgory in for the evening and was stunned to discover he was gone. Lautopsie ne permettra pas de rpondre aux nombreuses questions qui se sont poses sur le dcs de Grgory : Learn more about merges. But she no longer remembered if it was before Gregorys death, as she told Paris-Match, or after. Marcel and Jacqueline Jacob had been indicted with Murielle Bolle in June 2017 for "kidnapping and kidnapping followed by death". [16] In December 2008, following an application by the Villemins, a judge ordered the case reopened to allow DNA testing of the letters, the rope found on Grgory's body, and other evidence. But it will never happen.. French media reveals in December 2020 that a Swiss firm's analysis of the threatening letters points to a single suspect without saying who. Le corbeau: "Mais y en a Cinq crits sont recenss entre le 4 mars 1983 et le 24 juillet 1985. Cela exclut formellement la noyade dans une rivire.. Showing Editorial results for gregory villemin. Although the letter referred specifically to Grgory's death, Jean-Marie and Christine Villemin received threatening phone calls and letters prior to their son's murder. And Laroche chafed at the way he was treated by the other Villemins. However, no one thought of checking Gregory's body for needle marks when he was found. Even your money cannot give you back your son. Police launched a massive search effort, finding Grgory's body, his hands and feet tied up with rope, in the Vologne the same night. In fact, in 1994, Gregorys parents made their last public media appearance. His body was later found in the Vologne river to the horror of his parents. Few cases beyond the disappearance of British three-year-old Madeleine McCann have aroused so much media interest, including a hit Netflix documentary series. After six months of no progress on the case, Gregory's father shoots and kills Laroche outside his home. He also was a Pulitzer Prize juror in international reporting in 2014 and subsequently chaired four Pulitzer juries Public Service in 2015, International Reporting in 2020, Explanatory Reporting in 2021 and Illustrated Reporting and Commentary in 2022. His death was confirmed to our colleagues by Thierry Moser, the historic lawyer for the parents of little Grgory. [14] She was cleared of the charges on 2 February 1993. Laroche and Gregory took a walk, and Laroche returned alone, she said. Ruyssen, his two assistants and nine jurors sit on risers facing the courtroom. Lors du procs de Jean-Marie Villemin suite lassassinat de Bernard Laroche, les lgistes et les experts seront amens sexprimer sur les causes de la mort de Grgory et sur les rsultats de lautopsie. An error has occurred, please try again later. On peut considrer deux aspects de l'expertise : l'expertise matrielle (examenstechniquesetscientifiques du support)et l'expertise en comparaison d'criture. Laroches lawyer and family maintained his innocence all along. Gregory, a bright, delightful youngster with long, curly brown hair, was the apple of his fathers eye. The lead investigator in Grgory's abduction and murder, Jean-Michel Lambert, was strongly criticized for his handling of the case and the suspects. Grgory Villemin (24 August 1980 16 October 1984) was a French boy from Lpanges-sur-Vologne, Vosges, who was abducted from his home and murdered at the age of four. Ce constat semble indiquer que la victime ne sest pas dbattue au moment du ficelage. Ce prlvement indiquera uniquement que Grgory navait pas dalcool dans le sang. He blamed the prosecutor, the police and the media for egging him on and leaving him no alternative but to kill the man he still believes is guilty. [19] In the book, she maintained her innocence and that of Laroche, and blamed police for coercing her into implicating him. The following day, the boys father received a letter apparently posted around the time of the kidnap and murder, saying: I hope you die of grief, boss. (AFP) French police investigating the 1984 killing of a four-year-old boy have arrested three of his relatives, raising hopes of a breakthrough in one of the country's most high-profile unsolved murder cases. They believed Christines handwriting matched the letter sent after Gregorys death, which stated that the killer hoped Jean-Marie would die of grief since money could not bring his son back. Cela expliquerait que le corps soit rest en surface car lors dun dcs par hydrocution la prsence dair dans les poumons empche le corps de couler. Police think they have cracked the case when, after initially backing Laroche, Bolle changes her story and says she witnessed the kidnapping. In 2004 French authorities are ordered to pay each of Gregory's parents 35,000 euros ($42,000) in damages. [20] In a farewell letter to a local newspaper, Lambert cited the increasing pressure he felt as a result of the case being reopened as the reason for ending his life. In 2009, Reuters reported that French detectives collected DNA samples from some original evidence. Selon moi la cause de la mort est la noyade par asphixie car on a trouv de leau dans les poumons et lestomac et de la spume au niveau de la bouche. The lawyer for the parents of little Grgory confided in the death of another child of the Villemin couple. That being said, the remarkable discovery of a hypodermic syringe and a vial of insulin, put an entirely new spin on Gregorys killing. Bernard Laroche, Jean-Maries cousin, was also a factory foreman. His mother said she was inside, ironing and listening to the radio. On Wednesday morning, nearly 33 years after the murder, police arrested Marcel Jacob, an uncle of Gregory's father, and Jacob's wife in the Vosges mountains. They drove into another town, where Laroche walked out with Gregory only to return alone. She agrees with Jean-Maries lawyer that the defendant is not a killer. Laroche said to him, Theyve got what they deserved. The following article includes information regarding the abduction and murder of a child. Now, the case has been reopened. On February 25, 1957, police discovered a cardboard box that had been dumped off the side of a country road near Philadelphia, PA. Christine angrily denounced accusations from four handwriting experts that she wrote the last letter from The Crow to her husband. [18] Murielle Bolle was also arrested and held for thirty-six days before being released, as were the others who had been detained. Home; . [16] This testing too proved inconclusive. This month an appeals court in Dijon accepts requests by the Villemins to compare DNA samples found on evidence to determine whether they come from their extended family. French police reopen inquiry into notorious Grgory Villemin killing New technique reportedly identifies fresh suspect in unsolved murder of four-year-old boy in 1984 Kim Willsher in Paris Wed. Legendary novelist Marguerite Duras publishes a notorious essay "Sublime Christine V" in which she imagines the mother as the murderer. BBC News reports the aunt and uncle, who are both in their 70s, are suspected of complicity in Grgory's abduction and murder, failing to report a crime, and failing to help a person who was in danger. She delivered a promising testimony against the suspect Laroche. French media reveals in December 2020 that a Swiss firm's analysis of the threatening letters points to a single suspect without saying who. At first, the judge assigned to the case, Jean-Michel Lambert, believed that it would be a straightforward affair. But the letters continued to arrive, rambling missives written in longhand in low-class slang. The Crow hated them all, especially the ambitious son, whom he called the little boss.. In interviews, he can be heard saying that relatives might have been jealous of how well he was doing, but that was only because others were lazy and would not work for what they wanted in life. A death that occurred just a few weeks after the discovery of the body of the little boy. In 2017, the judge committed suicide in his home in Le Mans, with a plastic bag and a scarf cutting off his air supply. [5] During the 2017 investigation, Monique was named by investigators as the author of a 1990 threatening letter sent to Judge Maurice Simon, who had succeeded Jean-Michel Lambert as investigating judge on the case in 1987. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. At present, the couple has three children and are happy living a suburban life away from the spotlight. For his crime, Jean-Marie was sentenced to five years in prison and served four. For the best Barrons.com experience, please update to a modern browser. He wants to know the truth. There have been hints that people from the police and media came together to convince the judge of this story. However, as per recent developments, authorities have concluded that more than one person might have been involved in the murder, and there seem to be hints of a feud within the family involving Laroche. He began to give interviews and even made remarks like the Gregory affair being relatively simple. She said the gendarmes had forced her to implicate Laroche. Although he did not socialize as much with Jean-Marie or Christine, a reporter recalls the vitriolic joy that Laroche expressed when he heard the news of Gregorys death. At 9.15pm that day his body, bound at the wrists and ankles, was recovered from the River Vologne in the . Unfortunately, Grgory seemed to have vanished without a trace. Laroche was an unkempt, often profane man with a mustache. Finally, she was let go, and moved in with her parents for some time, while their house was guarded by the police. However, no one thought of checking Gregorys body for needle marks when he was found. This sad story happened in 1985, and it's been a complete mystery ever since, involving a whole family. Judge Lambert commits suicide in 2017 admitting in a letter that Gregory's case had haunted him. The murder of little Grgory: unsolved case that haunted France may soon yield secrets Four-year-old boy's great uncle and aunt have been arrested and placed under investigation three decades after. In the fall of 1984, when the body of the 4-year-old boy was found bound hand and foot in the cold waters of Vologne (Vosges), the police accused Bernard Laroche, cousin of Grgorys father, Jean-Marie Villemin of murdered the boy. [4][9], On 17 October, the Villemins received another anonymous letter that said, "I have taken vengeance". Il a respir dans leau et donc inhal et ingr de leau mais trs rapidement, il a t victime dun arrt respiratoire dorigine rflexe soit dune hydrocution. He was taken into custody on 5 November 1984. In the late afternoon of October 16, 1984, four-year-old Grgory Villemin was outside his parent's newly-built home in the French village of Lpanges-sur-Vologne, playing in a mound of sand left by the builders. DNA expertise in progress in the case of little Grgory This affair began in 1983, a year before the murder of young Grgory Villemin. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The Crow knew the Villemin family intimately. A few days later, the gendarmes found a hypodermic syringe and empty vial of insulin in a box near the riverbank. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. His body was found the same day in Docelles. In 2017, when the investigation was reopened, the original investigating judge Jean-Michel Lambert, heavily criticised for his handling of the original case, was found dead at his home. A-t-il t ligot avant ou aprs sa mort ? According to The Guardian, the information in the calls and letters indicated they were sent by family members or someone close to the family, as the caller and writer seemed to know personal details about them. On October 16, 1984, Jean-Marie and wife Christine reported the disappearance of their young son Gregory to police at 5pm. He was found dead in the Vologne river shortly afterwards, with his hands and legs tied, and a woolly hat to cover his face. In conclusion, the murder of Gregory Villemin might go unsolved, but as far as the suspects who were brought in, Bernard Laroche and Murielle Bolle perhaps deserved closer looks in the interest of justice, which might have happened, if Lambert had not taken the case away from the local police. Grgorys parents, Christine and Jean-Marie Villemin, with their then lawyer, Henri-Ren Garaud (left), in 1989. Copyright 2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Ifyou or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255). At first, back in 1984, authorities accused Bernard Laroche, one of Jean-Maries cousins. Four-year-old Grgory Villemin was found in the icy waters of the Vologne river at 9.15pm on October 16th, 1984. Jean-Marie Villemin will kill his cousin a few days later before confessing his crime to his wife, then to the police. Research genealogy for Grgory VILLEMIN of Saint-Di-des-Vosges (88100), 88413, Vosges, France, as well as other members of the VILLEMIN family, on Ancestry. Few cases beyond the disappearance of British three-year-old Madeleine McCann have aroused so much media interest, including a hit Netflix documentary series. His mother said she was inside, ironing and listening to the radio. (Netflix 2019). [4] With credit for time served awaiting trial and a partial suspension of the sentence, he was released in December 1987 after having served two and a half years. The next day, an anonymous letter that had been sent the day before arrived for Jean-Marie. Whether Michel was actually guilty or not, we will never know. Selon eux, les donnes mdico-lgales montrent que lenfant a pu tre ligot aprs sa mort ou tre anesthsi avant dtre ligot et noy : avant dtre plong dans leau, lenfant a pu tre momentanment anesthsi ou rendu inconscient par inhalation dther ou chloroforme, soit provoquant la mort soit en supprimant les ractions rflexes lorsquil a t plong dans leau ( ) lventualit dune noyade pralable dans une baignoire ou du maintien forc de la tte de lenfant dans de leau ventuellement contenue dans un rcipient est possible. Murielle Bolle has been the most unpredictable factor in little Gregorys murder. Police discover Gregory's body in a river in October 1984, his hands and feet bound, hours after he disappeared from the yard of his home in rural Lepanges-sur-Vologne in the Vosges region of eastern France.