Studio Minuit French True Crime
Sure, you know True Crime, but how many stories have you heard that have that distinctive French Touch?Numerous studies have shown that serial killers are not an invention of our modern society, but on the contrary, since the dawn of time, men and women have killed their fellow human beings for pure pleasure. This collection of stories follows the path of criminals and serial killers who haunt our collective history, based on clues gathered at crime scenes, on court records, and on the technical and psychological analyses of experts. The listener then has all the elements to form an opinion. This series is not only a collection of facts, but an attempt to understand through a variety of complex cases, the patterns that drive someone to kill and then, do it again...
The starry night of May 16th, 1978, was reflected in the calm water of Lake Geneva, Switzerland. On the shore near the town of Novilla, policemen were searching, stirring up the earth, pulling apart the cobs in a cornfield lit by a gibbous moon. Occasionally, one of their metal detectors goes off, and everyone holds their breath, but no : another old tin can. Pure beef ravioli, of course, but that won't make the investigators happy tonight. They were looking for something else, but what ? Gold ? The Holy Grail ? Pandora's box ? Nothing of the sort... They were looking for a coffin, and not just any coffin : that of one of the greatest filmmakers in history....
The starry night of May 16th, 1978, was reflected in the calm water of Lake Geneva, Switzerland. On the shore near the town of Novilla, policemen were searching, stirring up the earth, pulling apart the cobs in a cornfield lit by a gibbous moon. Occasionally, one of their metal detectors goes off, and everyone holds their breath, but no : another old tin can. Pure beef ravioli, of course, but that won't make the investigators happy tonight. They were looking for something else, but what ? Gold ? The Holy Grail ? Pandora's box ? Nothing of the sort... They were looking for a coffin, and not just any coffin : that of one of the greatest filmmakers in history....
The Henri Pranzini case, also known as the "triple murder of the rue Montaigne", was one of the most resounding cases of the late 19th century. At that time, the paper press monopolised the media field, devoting entire sections to news items and attracting nearly 10 million readers eager for sordid crimes. In this case, the story you are about to hear was a hit with all the newspapers, which did not hesitate to take up the subject from the very beginning of the investigation, to get ahead of the police by following up leads of their own, and sometimes even to fabricate when the elements were missing. Decades later, his aura would shine internationally, inspiring a playwright to write a play and a director to make a TV film. All the ingredients were there for a thrilling tale: blood, more than enough, jewels and the best detectives of their time, in pursuit of an adventurer as seductive as he was dangerous...
The Henri Pranzini case, also known as the "triple murder of the rue Montaigne", was one of the most resounding cases of the late 19th century. At that time, the paper press monopolised the media field, devoting entire sections to news items and attracting nearly 10 million readers eager for sordid crimes. In this case, the story you are about to hear was a hit with all the newspapers, which did not hesitate to take up the subject from the very beginning of the investigation, to get ahead of the police by following up leads of their own, and sometimes even to fabricate when the elements were missing. Decades later, his aura would shine internationally, inspiring a playwright to write a play and a director to make a TV film. All the ingredients was there for a thrilling tale: blood, more than enough, jewels and the best detectives of their time, in pursuit of an adventurer as seductive as he was dangerous...
In 2003, an entire family was massacred in a quiet winter sports resort. It all started with their disappearance, which set the media machine in motion. It quickly revealed the grudges and resentments that lay behind the beautiful mountain scenery and ski slopes. Then the worst came to light : the fact that one can violently slaughter young children in order to own a nice chalet. Without even being crazy, just for the desire to have. This frightening story is that of the Grand Bornand massacre.
In 2003, an entire family was massacred in a quiet winter sports resort. It all started with their disappearance, which set the media machine in motion. It quickly revealed the grudges and resentments that lay behind the beautiful mountain scenery and ski slopes. Then the worst came to light : the fact that one can violently slaughter young children in order to own a nice chalet. Without even being crazy, just for the desire to have. This frightening story is that of the Grand Bornand massacre.
In 2003, an entire family was massacred in a quiet winter sports resort. It all started with their disappearance, which set the media machine in motion. It quickly revealed the grudges and resentments that lay behind the beautiful mountain scenery and ski slopes. Then the worst came to light : the fact that one can violently slaughter young children in order to own a nice chalet. Without even being crazy, just for the desire to have. This frightening story is that of the Grand Bornand massacre.
It was 7.45 am on the morning of August 22nd 1995. In Saulx-les-Chartreux, in the Essonne, a market gardener was walking along a path along the Yvette towards her vegetable garden. She had to wait : on the way, she saw a human arm protruding from the watercourse, which had dried up due to the summer temperatures. The limb seems to have been pulled out of a large cloth bag, sunk in 16 inches of water. Frightened, the market gardener forgot her turnips and ran in the other direction to inform the nearest police station. On the spot, the dead man was fished out of the water and the sheet in which he was wrapped was removed.
It was 7.45 am on the morning of August 22nd 1995. In Saulx-les-Chartreux, in the Essonne, a market gardener was walking along a path along the Yvette towards her vegetable garden. She had to wait : on the way, she saw a human arm protruding from the watercourse, which had dried up due to the summer temperatures. The limb seems to have been pulled out of a large cloth bag, sunk in 16 inches of water. Frightened, the market gardener forgot her turnips and ran in the other direction to inform the nearest police station. On the spot, the dead man was fished out of the water and the sheet in which he was wrapped was removed.
Wednesday, September 5th 2012 was a sunny day in the Bauges mountains of Haute-Savoie. William Brett Martin took the opportunity to go for a bike ride near the village of Chevaline, population two hundred. He took the Combe d'Ire road, a nice climb that he regularly made. He was not the only one to pedal in these mountains, but he was in no hurry. He was therefore overtaken by another cyclist at around 3.15 pm. He then passed a green 4 x 4 and a motorbike. Then he reached the Martinet car park at an altitude of 2500 feet. He would never forget what he found there...
Wednesday, September 5th 2012 was a sunny day in the Bauges mountains of Haute-Savoie. William Brett Martin took the opportunity to go for a bike ride near the village of Chevaline, population two hundred. He took the Combe d'Ire road, a nice climb that he regularly made. He was not the only one to pedal in these mountains, but he was in no hurry. He was therefore overtaken by another cyclist at around 3.15 pm. He then passed a green 4 x 4 and a motorbike. Then he reached the Martinet car park at an altitude of 2500 feet. He would never forget what he found there...
Wednesday, September 5th 2012 was a sunny day in the Bauges mountains of Haute-Savoie. William Brett Martin took the opportunity to go for a bike ride near the village of Chevaline, population two hundred. He took the Combe d'Ire road, a nice climb that he regularly made. He was not the only one to pedal in these mountains, but he was in no hurry. He was therefore overtaken by another cyclist at around 3.15 pm. He then passed a green 4 x 4 and a motorbike. Then he reached the Martinet car park at an altitude of 2500 feet. He would never forget what he found there...
It was a wonderful time to be living on the banks of the Rhône in August 1889. While in the capital, the whole of Paris was living to the rhythm of the Universal Exhibition, crossing crowds together on the Champ-de-Mars where the very young Eiffel Tower was overlooking the events, the inhabitants of the Rhône-Alpes region were enjoying quiet days, taking advantage of the river and the nature that protected them from the summer heat. However, a detail was disturbing the rural atmosphere: more and more walkers were perturbed by a stench that persisted on the departmental road between Vernaison and Millery, south of Lyon.
It was a wonderful time to be living on the banks of the Rhône in August 1889. While in the capital, the whole of Paris was living to the rhythm of the Universal Exhibition, crossing crowds together on the Champ-de-Mars where the very young Eiffel Tower was overlooking the events, the inhabitants of the Rhône-Alpes region were enjoying quiet days, taking advantage of the river and the nature that protected them from the summer heat. However, a detail was disturbing the rural atmosphere: more and more walkers were perturbed by a stench that persisted on the departmental road between Vernaison and Millery, south of Lyon.
To what extent can one know misfortune ? How many tragedies can occur in a life, and continuously break some rare periods of happiness ? For Manuela Gonzalez-Cano, there seems to be no limit : in 25 years, she had lost three husbands. Suicide, fire, depression... Each of her companions suddenly disappears in tragic circumstances, as if they were victims of a curse from which there was no escape. The story was always the same: Manuela gets back on her feet, tries to rebuild her family, and thinks she can do it for a while, before a new incident destroys everything.
To what extent can one know misfortune ? How many tragedies can occur in a life, and continuously break some rare periods of happiness ? For Manuela Gonzalez-Cano, there seems to be no limit : in 25 years, she had lost three husbands. Suicide, fire, depression... Each of her companions suddenly disappears in tragic circumstances, as if they were victims of a curse from which there was no escape. The story was always the same: Manuela gets back on her feet, tries to rebuild her family, and thinks she can do it for a while, before a new incident destroys everything.
The life of Jean-Baptiste Rambla was a sordid soap opera, made up of episodes each more macabre than the last. It began when he was still known as little Jean. At the age of six, he was the main witness to the kidnapping and murder of his sister, Marie Dolores Rambla. Decades later, he in turn became a murderer...
The life of Jean-Baptiste Rambla was a sordid soap opera, made up of episodes each more macabre than the last. It began when he was still known as little Jean. At the age of six, he was the main witness to the kidnapping and murder of his sister, Marie Dolores Rambla. Decades later, he in turn became a murderer...
The life of Jean-Baptiste Rambla was a sordid soap opera, made up of episodes each more macabre than the last. It began when he was still known as little Jean. At the age of six, he was the main witness to the kidnapping and murder of his sister, Marie Dolores Rambla. Decades later, he in turn became a murderer...
In Nantes, in a residential area where the middle class and the wealthy live, time had stopped at number 55 boulevard Robert Schumann. Since the beginning of April 2011, the black shutters on the white façade had remained closed. Opposite, parked vehicles were stuck, on the letterbox a note soberly indicated : "Mail to be returned to sender. Thank you." Intrigued, the neighbours consulted each other and agreed: no one had seen or heard the occupants of the house for several days. The outward signs suggested a sudden move, but the logistics would undoubtedly have been noticed: a lorry in the middle of the road, people going back and forth with their arms full, bulky items that were willingly given up...
In Nantes, in a residential area where the middle class and the wealthy live, time had stopped at number 55 boulevard Robert Schumann. Since the beginning of April 2011, the black shutters on the white façade had remained closed. Opposite, parked vehicles were stuck, on the letterbox a note soberly indicated : "Mail to be returned to sender. Thank you." Intrigued, the neighbours consulted each other and agreed: no one had seen or heard the occupants of the house for several days. The outward signs suggested a sudden move, but the logistics would undoubtedly have been noticed: a lorry in the middle of the road, people going back and forth with their arms full, bulky items that were willingly given up...
In Nantes, in a residential area where the middle class and the wealthy live, time had stopped at number 55 boulevard Robert Schumann. Since the beginning of April 2011, the black shutters on the white façade had remained closed. Opposite, parked vehicles were stuck, on the letterbox a note soberly indicated : "Mail to be returned to sender. Thank you." Intrigued, the neighbours consulted each other and agreed: no one had seen or heard the occupants of the house for several days. The outward signs suggested a sudden move, but the logistics would undoubtedly have been noticed: a lorry in the middle of the road, people going back and forth with their arms full, bulky items that were willingly given up...
On October 10, 1986, during an operation carried out hand in hand by the DEA and the Carabinieri, a battering ram breaks down the door of a Swiss chalet in the snowy canton of Fribourg. The investigators' information is fresh, and the catch is rather good: 12 kilos of cocaine seezed, 12 traffickers rolling around in the powdery snow, including three Frenchmen. Among them is a certain François Scapula, a Marseilles-based gangster who used to be called Francis le Brun, before changing his name to Scapu la Balance. Yes, Mr Scapula doesn't particularly want to be extradited to France where, given his extensive criminal record, he could be sent to prison for life...
On October 10, 1986, during an operation carried out hand in hand by the DEA and the Carabinieri, a battering ram breaks down the door of a Swiss chalet in the snowy canton of Fribourg. The investigators' information is fresh, and the catch is rather good: 12 kilos of cocaine seezed, 12 traffickers rolling around in the powdery snow, including three Frenchmen. Among them is a certain François Scapula, a Marseilles-based gangster who used to be called Francis le Brun, before changing his name to Scapu la Balance. Yes, Mr Scapula doesn't particularly want to be extradited to France where, given his extensive criminal record, he could be sent to prison for life...
The story began as a bad joke : on September 27th 2010, at the Hérault criminal court, three individuals were on trial: a viscount, a tile washer and a wealthy annuitant. They were all allegedly involved in the murder of Bernadette Bissonnet, a retired pharmacist, shot dead in her home two years before. What link could unite these three people? What secret was behind the victim's death? We'll have to wait to find out, but what starts as a dubious joke will end up in a line worthy of the greatest Greek tragedies. When the verdict was announced, the third defendant, indignant at the fate reserved for him, would rise from his box to declaim in his most flowery language: "Justice of shit!"
The story began as a bad joke : on September 27th 2010, at the Hérault criminal court, three individuals were on trial: a viscount, a tile washer and a wealthy annuitant. They were all allegedly involved in the murder of Bernadette Bissonnet, a retired pharmacist, shot dead in her home two years before. What link could unite these three people? What secret was behind the victim's death? We'll have to wait to find out, but what starts as a dubious joke will end up in a line worthy of the greatest Greek tragedies. When the verdict was announced, the third defendant, indignant at the fate reserved for him, would rise from his box to declaim in his most flowery language: "Justice of shit!"
July 17th, 1987. In her house of Arcachon, Dominique, mother of family, is pulled out of sleep by a man. He rapes her and then withdraws into the darkness, without leaving any trace behind him. Dominique is the first of a long list. Between 1987 and 2002, at least 36 other women from the southwest of France were surprised by the man. Each time, the predator cuts the electricity, enters through the roof without a sound, commits his crime and leaves the way he came. He is so careful that it is not until 1998 that, following several assaults in the Hossegor region, the police understand that a sexual predator is active on the Atlantic coast...
July 17th, 1987. In her house of Arcachon, Dominique, mother of family, is pulled out of sleep by a man. He rapes her and then withdraws into the darkness, without leaving any trace behind him. Dominique is the first of a long list. Between 1987 and 2002, at least 36 other women from the southwest of France were surprised by the man. Each time, the predator cuts the electricity, enters through the roof without a sound, commits his crime and leaves the way he came. He is so careful that it is not until 1998 that, following several assaults in the Hossegor region, the police understand that a sexual predator is active on the Atlantic coast...
July 17th, 1987. In her house of Arcachon, Dominique, mother of family, is pulled out of sleep by a man. He rapes her and then withdraws into the darkness, without leaving any trace behind him. Dominique is the first of a long list. Between 1987 and 2002, at least 36 other women from the southwest of France were surprised by the man. Each time, the predator cuts the electricity, enters through the roof without a sound, commits his crime and leaves the way he came. He is so careful that it is not until 1998 that, following several assaults in the Hossegor region, the police understand that a sexual predator is active on the Atlantic coast...
Karine, a young French woman, was shot as she left a movie theater in Pont-Sainte-Maxence in July 1978. She was able to make a full recovery, albeit she was unable to identify her assailant. However, the attacker sent a note to the French gendarmerie several days later, alleging that Karine recognized him and that he would strike again...
Karine, a young French woman, was shot as she left a movie theater in Pont-Sainte-Maxence in July 1978. She was able to make a full recovery, albeit she was unable to identify her assailant. However, the attacker sent a note to the French gendarmerie several days later, alleging that Karine recognized him and that he would strike again...
The number of women who have been attacked or even killed while running is uncountable. This crime, which should not become commonplace, is the starting point of what is now known as the Alexia case. A husband comes to the police station to report that his wife has not returned from a run. He is worried. As time passes, so does his family. When the body of the unfortunate woman is found, everyone supports each other because they are very united. However, the truth will shatter this family, even though it took a long time for it to finally come out.
The number of women who have been attacked or even killed while running is uncountable. This crime, which should not become commonplace, is the starting point of what is now known as the Alexia case. A husband comes to the police station to report that his wife has not returned from a run. He is worried. As time passes, so does his family. When the body of the unfortunate woman is found, everyone supports each other because they are very united. However, the truth will shatter this family, even though it took a long time for it to finally come out.
The number of women who have been attacked or even killed while running is uncountable. This crime, which should not become commonplace, is the starting point of what is now known as the Alexia case. A husband comes to the police station to report that his wife has not returned from a run. He is worried. As time passes, so does his family. When the body of the unfortunate woman is found, everyone supports each other because they are very united. However, the truth will shatter this family, even though it took a long time for it to finally come out.
The number of women who have been attacked or even killed while running is uncountable. This crime, which should not become commonplace, is the starting point of what is now known as the Alexia case. A husband comes to the police station to report that his wife has not returned from a run. He is worried. As time passes, so does his family. When the body of the unfortunate woman is found, everyone supports each other because they are very united. However, the truth will shatter this family, even though it took a long time for it to finally come out.
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