Jeanmarie Villemin

Passions

Family

French homicide, a killer of his cousin for the murder of his son, Gregory, whose body was found bound and drowned in the river Vologne on 10/16/1984. At the high-profile Villemin trial, it came out that the family was the target of a maleficent person making anonymous phone calls and letters. Judge Lambert, a real weathercock, ran the inquiry according to his mood swings. He charged Bernard Laroche, a cousin of the child's father, with the crime, following information given by his niece Muriel, and then released him a few weeks later. On 2/04/1985 the charges where dismissed and Laroche was set free. Not convinced of his innocence, Jean-Marie Villemin murdered Laroche at Autmonzey on 3/29/1985. On the same day he surrendered and was jailed for murder. Judge Lambert's investigation then turned to Christine Villemin whom he arrested for the voluntary manslaughter of her son. The lawyers got her release in ten days. On 3/17/1987, Judge Maurice Simon took over the inquiry set another trial date. On 2/03/1993, following the new investigation, the Court of appeals of Dijon exonerated Christine Villemin. On 11/03/1993, the trial of Jean-Marie Villemin opened in Dijon. After six weeks of painstaking procedure to correct the inconsistencies of the judicial system, Jean-Marie was sentenced to five years in jail with a one-year suspended sentence. Having already been detained for 33 months, he was released on 12/30/1993.