The story is obviously quite somber, but the pacing of the documentary, pairing archival footage with interviews and voiceovers, is brisk and tightly produced. Many directly threatened the boss Jean Marie was in charge of 20 men and his family. There's a chilling new crime documentary to stream. Its the opposite of sexy. Against the public prosecutors advice, Lambert ordered that Laroche be set free. The case became known as the Grgory Affair and for decades has received widespread media coverage and public attention in France. In June 2017, Gregorys great-aunt and great-uncle, Jacqueline and Marcel Jacob, were arrested and charged with his kidnapping. Theyve been promising a decisive new development for more than 30 years now, said the Laroche familys lawyer, Grard Welzer. The little boys mother, Christine Villemin, told police that her son was playing in the front yard of their home when he vanished. Showing Editorial results for gregory villemin. 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. Murielle admitted this in front of the police only weeks after the actual crime but withdrew her statement a couple of days later. His hands and feet were bound with rope and his face covered with a wool hat. Who killed Grgory Villemin? | Mysteriesrunsolved Your money cant give you back your son. For several years in the early 1980s, an unknown man repeatedly harassed and threatened Jean-Marie Villemin and his family in hundreds of letters and phone calls. To this day, nobody has been found guilty of the murder., The Gist: This French documentary, spanning five roughly hour-long episodes, exhaustively follows the details of the murder of young Gregory Villemin in 1984, but also the terrible harassment that preceded the boys death. Official trailer On Tuesday 16 October 1984, four-year-old Grgory Villemin was reported missing, then found dead in the Vologne river in the Vosges region of France with ropes tied around his. Christine and Jean-Marie Villemin, centre and right, attend a court hearing following the murder of their four-year-old son. Search instead in Creative? The discovery in a river of Gregory Villemin's body in October 1984, bound hand and foot, led to a revenge killing, and the murder has remained unsolved even though it has been reopened several . Something went wrong, please try again later. Grgory, my darling, dont go, come back! sobbed his mother Christine, then 24. Two days later, however, Bolle retracted her story. Gregory was playing outside the house that October day in 1984, around sunset, when he was abducted. Not only was this person threatening revenge against the family, specifically the child's father Jean-Marie, but they also had intimate knowledge of the extended family. Then came the arrest of Muriel Bolle amid similar allegations. But it was closed in 2001, after the probe failed to yield any clues as to the identity of either the killer or the sender of the mysterious letters. 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. Gregory Villemin, a 4-year-old boy, was found dead in October 1984 with his feet and hands bound in the Vologne river, near his home in a village in eastern France. The father went to jail for Laroche's murder for several years. The case was reopened in 2000 to allow for DNA testing on a stamp used to send one of the anonymous letters, but the tests were inconclusive. Nobody had ever been convicted of the killing. More than 100 witnesses were also interviewed and some 12,000 separate pieces of evidence run through an advanced artificial intelligence programme, AnaCrim, that locates potential suspects at given moments and uncovers inconsistencies in statements and alibis. Muriel Bolle was also arrested and she was held for 36 days before being released, as were the others who had been detained. He turned himself in immediately, and would not be released from jail until late 1987. The body was found at 9. Freed after an 11-day hunger strike, Grgorys mother was not fully cleared for eight years, when the case against her was dismissed as utterly without charge. A little over a month later, the grieving father shot and killed his cousin as he was leaving for work. The whole Jacob family had a longstanding hatred for the Villemin clan which their sister/aunt had married into. The most atrocious part of this case is that he was perhaps thrown into the water alive! Monique Villemin, grandmother of little Grgory, has died Who killed 'little Gregory'?: Three relatives - nationalpost By 1987 Judge Lambert had been replaced by another judge, Maurice Simon, whose devastating criticism of his predecessor's work emerged on Wednesday. 1980s child murder case grips France | Reuters There is no material proof, nothing, said one, Stephane Giuranna. From the beginning, suspicion fell on the family of the boys father, 26, whose parents, brothers, aunts, uncles and cousins all lived nearby. Many directly threatened the boss - Jean Marie was in charge of 20 men - and his family. On 29 March 1985, Jean-Marie Villemin shot and killed Laroche as he was leaving for work. The killer was still on the loose. In interviews with investigators and reporters who covered the case when it happened, we learn that the family had endured three years of threatening anonymous phone calls from a figure know as Le Corbeau, or The Raven.. Parting Shot: Jean Ker, a photojournalist who covered the case, recounts an interview with family members of the Villemins that immediately draws suspicion to a angry, unstable cousin of Jean-Marie, Bernard Laroche. The same night, his body was found 2.5 miles away in the Vologne River near Docelles. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The Killer Of 4-Year-Old Grgory Villemin Remains A Mystery Decades Police said the evidence pointed to suicide. Shuvrajit Das Biswas Updated August 2, 2022 In France's criminal history, there are bound to have been cases that have shocked the public, but few of them become as sensational as the murder of Gregory Villemin. Bernard would also often visit his family and friends to talk trash about Jean-Marie, probably influencing them to hate him too. 1,199, This story has been shared 1,172 times. 1,172, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved, When Does 'Black Girl Missing' Premiere on Lifetime? He was not there. The Jacobs alibis, Bosc said, were unconfirmed and unsubstantiated. 3,098, This story has been shared 2,363 times. Its quite obvious that the killer must have been some jealous member of the family and the new investigations have put forth the new suspects every time from his family, but still, the whole story remains a riddle. Since 1981 the child's parents had been receiving anonymous phone calls and hate mail from someone calling himself "Le Corbeau", or the crow. Required fields are marked *. Grgory Villemins tragic end was destined previously as from September 1981 to October 1984, Grgorys parents, Jean-Marie and Christine Villemin, and Jean-Maries parents, Albert and Monique Villemin, received numerous anonymous letters and phone calls from a man threatening revenge against Jean-Marie for some unknown offence. France 24 is not responsible for the content of external websites. Potentially vital evidence would later be thrown out. Most Pilot-y Line: I never stopped thinking about it, Etienne Sesmat the police inspector who investigated the case at the time notes, recounting a small detail from the case that still haunts him decades later. Grgory Villemin was found dead in October 1984, Christine and Jean-Marie Villemin, parents of Gregory Villemin, who was murdered at four-years-old, The Vologne river in Docelles, eastern France in which Gregory was found tied up and drowned in October 1984, You must be at least 18 years old to create an account, Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number, I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from Evening Standard. All Rights Reserved. Eventually, the aunt was released, but the great-uncle and great-aunt chose to remain silent in the investogations. Little Gregory: Key Twists In Heartbreaking French Murder Case In 1984, 4-year-old Grgory Villemin was playing on a pile of sand in the front garden of his parents home in Vosges a mountainous area in eastern France, near its border with Germany. Last month, three members of the murdered boy's father's family were held by police on suspicion of being accomplices. They went to school together and even then, Jean-Marie would have better grades, more friends, have girlfriends, etc. Answer: In June 2017, Bolle was also arrested on suspicion of involvement in the killing, but was later released. Suddenly, the handwriting experts saw similarities to the letter sent by "The Crow." Bernard was released from custody in February 1985, much to the dismay of Jean-Marie, who whole-heartedly believed he was guilty. Freed after an 11-day hunger strike, Grgorys mother was not fully cleared for eight years, when the case against her was dismissed as utterly without charge. Investigators express consternation over the familys lack of cooperation, and speculation swirls about the identity of the killer and their connection to the family or the familys own possible guilt. hortly after 5.30pm on 16 October 1984, Christine Villemin abandoned her ironing in the newly built chalet that she and her husband, Jean-Marie, had moved into just over a year earlier, and stepped outside. Three held in French child murder mystery. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? The charges against the little boys great-aunt and uncle followed modern handwriting and linguistic analysis of some 2,000 letters and voice recordings that led police to conclude their authors were a man and a woman, the prosecutor, Bosc, said. Years of mistakes. She was accused of carrying out his murder in 1985 but eventually cleared in 1993. A few hours later, while the. Sleeper Star: The photojournalist Ker, equal parts dogged reporter and arrogant, swaggering loudmouth, who offers a great deal of insight on how things unfolded. The same night, his body was found in the nearby Vologne River - he was believed to have been thrown in alive. According to French news channel BFMTV, Judge Simon wrote at the time in his personal notebooks of Mr Lambert's "intellectual disorder". Will There Be A 'Sex/Life' Season 3 on Netflix? Bound hand and foot and still wearing his woolly hat, Grgory was pulled from the Vologne river four miles (7km) from his home at 9.30pm on the evening of his disappearance, and buried four days later in the local cemetery. A former judge who played a leading part in one of France's biggest murder inquiries has been found dead at home with a plastic bag over his head. The calls and letters were unsettling, but few could predict what would happen on October 16, 1984, when Gregory went missing from his yard, or when his body was found drowned in the nearby Vologne River the next day. The following month Jean-Michel Lambert, who was the investigating magistrate in charge of the. Affaire Grgory: The Murder Of Grgory Villemin - Scare Street Laroche fitted the bill perfectly: handwriting experts argued he had written two of the poison-pen letters, and his sister-in-law, the teenaged Bolle, told gendarmes she had accompanied him when he drove to the Villemins house, picked up Grgory, headed for the river, then went off with him, and came back alone. On Oct. 16, 1984, Gregory was found dead in the Vologne River near Docelles, France. Man of his word, a month later Jean-Marie killed his cousin with a shotgun in front of his wife and served four years in jail for the revenge killing. It was getting chilly. 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. The father went to jail for Laroche's murder and within months Judge Lambert had turned the inquiry towards the boy's mother, Christine Villemin. Sex and Skin: None. This time to Jean-Maries parents house. Offers may be subject to change without notice. The 1984 murder of 4-year-old Gregory Villemin was a media spectacle in France, captivating the country's attention in much the same way the murder of Jon-Benet Ramsey did for the American. Grgory Villemin was found dead in October 1984 in the Vologne river in eastern France. Here is my revenge, you stupid bastard.. The following day, the victim's father receives another letter: "I hope you die of sorrow, boss. Erotomania: When a Person Truly Believes That a Stranger Is in Love WithThem, Haunting Polaroid Photo of Kidnapped Children Found onAsphalt, Rodney Alcala: The Mother of All SerialKillers, The Unsolved Murder of Grgory Villemin: The Tragedy That Still Haunts France. El asesinato del pequeo Grgory Villemin, ocurrido hace 32 aos, es uno de los mayores enigmas policiales de la historia moderna de Francia. Three locals swore they had seen Grgorys mother at the post office on the day before his death, when the revenge letter had been posted; graphologists argued there was an 80% chance she was the letters author; string identical to that used to tie the boys hands and legs was found in the chalets cellar. Citing sources close to the case, French media have said detectives believe a clan around the original suspect, Bernard Laroche, were behind the killing: the Jacobs were his aunt and uncle, Bolle was his sister-in-law. On 16 October 1984, around 5:00 pm, Christine Villemin reported Grgory to police as missing after she noticed he was no longer playing in the Villemins front yard. Lawyers for the accused couple say they strongly deny the allegations. Four year-old Grgory Villemin , who was murdered near Docelles in the French department of Vosges on 16th October 1984. The case passed from the local gendarmerie to the CID in nearby Nancy who under Lamberts direction began, sensationally, to build a case against Christine. 2023 BBC. Judge Lambert charges Gregory's mother Christine with his murder in July 1985, once again based on a handwriting sample. Prosecutor Jean-Jacques Bosc said at the time that he is certain more than one person is responsible for Gregorys homicide. It is 36 years since the lifeless body of Grgory Villemin, who disappeared while playing in the garden of his home, was found in a river in France's eastern Vosges region, his hands and feet. The circumstances surrounding Gregorys drowning made his death an international news story. The Grogry Villemin case [reposted because off formating] - Reddit The Jacobs have since invoked their right to remain silent, which many consider a sign of guilt. Local reporters covering the case pointed out that none of those held on Wednesday was suspected of the boy's murder. His mother said she was inside, ironing and listening to the radio. Christine jumped into her car and drove increasingly frantically around the small village of Lpanges-sur-Vologne, in Frances eastern Vosges region. October 23, 2022 7:09 pm Grgory Villemin, a four-year-old French boy who was abducted from the front yard of his home in a small village called Vosges, in France, on 16th October of 1984. But Laroche provides an alibi -- his wife's 15-year-old sister Murielle Bolle. There were numerous theories and speculations, not supported by evidence. 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. The unknown stalker was later referred to as "The Raven," and multiple people have been arrested in connection to the sinister correspondence, which included a letter the day after Gregorys murder that read: "I have taken vengeance.".