A family feud ends in tragedy (Part 1/2) | Forensic Files

foreign [Music] deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any time you
need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support please
see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website today's episode involves crimes against
children and won't be suitable for all listeners [Music] the small sleepy Village of La panch
serve alone lies in northeastern France towards the German border in 1980 it was home to less than 1 000
inhabitants many of whom came from families that lived in the area for Generations
the queen to rural Hammer was typical of the region orange tiled houses and Evergreen
forests had dotted the grassy hillsides with the vallone river snaking through the valley
the main road offered a little besides a school news agency and a small selection
of cafes and bakeries a majority of the townsfolk were employed at one of the local factories
suffice to say not much happened in LA panch it was an ordinary Village filled with
ordinary working-class people [Music] in the early 1980s phone lines were installed in the area for the first time
in July 1981 newlyweds Jean-Marie and Christine vilmaan took advantage of this development and had a line installed to
their newly built home it had been an exciting time for the young couple who were both aged in their
early 20s Christine had recently given birth to their first child her son named Gregory
Jean-Marie secured a coveted position as four men in a car upholstery factory bringing a new level of financial
stability to the young family they'd purchased a plot of land on the outskirts of LA panch and to build a
comfortable yet modest Chalet style home with plans to extend as their family grew
the future looked bright [Music] one night shortly after they'd had their new phone installed it rang
Christine answered all she could hear on the other line was heavy breathing then the line went dead
it happened again and again one silent Anonymous call after the next placed at random times for several days
[Music] one night Jean-Marie picked up this time he could hear a record playing it was the song we are thirsty by
Belgian singer Gran Jojo [Music] a giggling female voice sang along out of time to the upbeat song which told
the story of a member of the foreign Legions quest to find a beer still the caller said nothing
[Music] a few nights later the phone rang again another song played but still no
conversation the hang up calls continued for several months more heavy breathing and long silences
then in November the caller finally spoke [Music] [Music] [Music] jean-marie's parents Albert and Monique
vilmann had been harassed by the same mysterious caller for months the couple lived in the neighboring Village of all
monsay located 11 kilometers east of LA panch they'd raised at their six children
there while taking turns working shifts at the local textile Factory most of their children had married and
fled the nest except for their youngest son who was only 12 years old the others all still lived nearby and
would get together on Sundays to catch up over a meal the calls to Albert and Monique varied
in length and content sometimes the caller would say nothing other times they'd rant for up to half
an hour often the calls were studded with sneeze vile language and threats a majority of the time the caller was a
man with a horse muffled Voice who was obviously trying to disguise his natural speech
but the coals were occasionally made by a woman or possibly a man speaking in a high-pitched voice
the caller eventually earned themselves the nickname of the crow after the 1943 French film of the same name
in the movie A mysterious Rider terrorizes a small town with Anonymous letters that expose everyone's dark
secrets although the identity of the vilman's crow remained unknown one thing was
certain this wasn't some random stranger the crow had intimate knowledge of the vilmaan family that only an Insider
could be privy to they knew where each family member lived who they were married to where they
worked and how they spent their days they knew whenever something new happened within the family and of the
changing Dynamics and conflicts Within whoever the crow was they were watching the villain family closely
[Music] their motivation wasn't clear but there were a couple of elements they were
particularly fixated on Albert and Monique's eldest child Jackie had been born out of wedlock
he wasn't Albert's biological child at all but the result of a brief fling minnecad just before their marriage
Albert had to married Monique to save her the shame and stigma of being an unwed mother
regardless Albert never accepted Jackie as his son and he was mostly raised by his maternal grandparents
it had been a sore spot within the family especially for Jackie who only learned to the truth about his
background at the age of 17. [Music] the crow continually honed in on this referring to quote the bastard and
insinuating there could be more bastard children among them the crow appeared sympathetic towards
Jackie and often came to his defense Michelle vilmann was the second oldest son of the clan
he was illiterate poorly spoken and had low self-esteem the crow complained that Michelle was
treated badly in contrast the crow had a particular disdain for Jean-Marie his recent promotion to Foreman was a
sore spot for some family members who envied that Jean-Marie had managed to rise above their working-class ranks
the crow spitefully referred to Jean-Marie as boss their dislike for Jean-Marie was
borderline obsessive the crow knew how proud Albert and Monique were of their middle son and he
continuously encouraged them to cut all tires with the Jean-Marie and his family
the crow seemed to determined to drive a wedge between members of the vilmaan family and to turn them against one
another and it worked conflicts began flaring up among the siblings parents and extended relatives
as allegations arose as to who among them was behind the crow the extended vilmaan Clan had a no
shortage of dark family secrets and the crow wasn't afraid to use this information against them
Albert's father had hanged himself when Albert was only 12 years old the crow constantly encouraged Albert to
do the same [Music] Christine vilmann was home alone with baby Gregory when the phone rang on
November 22 1981. Jean-Marie was working the night shift it was the first time Christine heard
the hoarse voice of the crow for herself the mystery caller began unleashing a barrage of insults
Christine quickly hung up this enraged The Crow he immediately called back and the
insults worsened he threatened violence making it clear he knew exactly where Christine lived and what her movements
were like Christine asked the caller what she ever did to deserve this harassment
the crow responded it's not you it's your old man later that night Christine heard a
rattling noise at her front door she went to investigate only to discover that a latch on the door had been broken
and a window pane had been smashed Christine bundled Gregory up and rushed to her next-door neighbor's house
after that she became consumed by fear Jean-Marie bought a 22 caliber rifle for himself and a pistol for Christine
he reinforced all of the windows of their home with shutters Christine refused to stay alone in the
house at night whenever Jean-Marie worked nights she took Gregory to stay at her mother's
meanwhile the calls continued at Albert and Monique's house the crow told them I broke down the boss's door his wife
was scared the villains weren't the type of people to involve law enforcement like many others in the region they were
old school and somewhat stubborn they believed that conflicts should be sorted out between those involved
instead Albert and Monique started recording the time date and content of each phone call in a notebook
afraid they too would be physically targeted Albert installed car mirrors throughout their property
the crow immediately told Albert that he knew about the mirrors had a family member told them or had the
crows seen it for themselves the surveillance was constant one July day in 1982 Monique and Albert
went for a stroll with their son Gilbert and his wife upon their return home the phone rang
it was the all too familiar voice of The Crow did you have a nice walk he asked in September 1982 Gilbert was at work
when a woman called to let him know that his mother had been in a terrible accident
Gilbert rushed to his parents house only to find that Monique was completely unharmed and oblivious to any such call
there had been no accident as soon as Gilbert left Albert and Monique's phone rang
it was the crow laughing about how stupid and gullible Gilbert had been on Tuesday November 30 1982 the phone
rang incessantly at Albert and Monique's house the crow racked up a grand total of 27
calls the couple had finally reached their limit they reported the caller to the local
police and an investigation was launched determining the identity of the crow was
no easy feat phone records at the time noted the amount of calls made from a landline but
didn't specify which local numbers had been dialed there was heightened activity on the
phone accounts of several members of the vilmaan family during peak times when the crow was active
this in and of itself wasn't necessarily suspicious each call from the crow provoked other
calls within the family making it an ongoing chain reaction despite the different Dynamics within
the family no one stood out as a clear suspect the crow had insinuated the identity of
various individuals but this was likely an intentional way to deflect from the truth
given that the crow was sympathetic towards Jackie there were suspicions that Jackie himself was behind the cause
Jackie's wife Liliane had an incredibly strange relationship with the villains so it made sense that she could have
been the female accomplice she had also been at Albert's home when he installed the mirrors
liliane's parents disliked the wilmans and some wondered whether Liliane was feeding them information
could a Liliane be the Mastermind behind the crow and her father the one executing the calls
tensions among the family escalated Sunday get-togethers became hostile and unpleasant
Albert and Jean-Marie were convinced that Jackie was the crow when confronted with this accusation
Jackie strongly denied it he was so offended that he stopped seeing his family altogether
the police thought the crow could possibly be identified through a process of elimination
the next time the crow rang the recipient was advised to call the person they suspected to be responsible
were they standing by the phone could they notice any similarities in The Voice on Monday December 13 1982 the crow
called Albert and Monique to announce ongoing to LA panch to hurt Christine the next morning Jean-Marie discovered
that the tires on his car had been slashed when Albert found out his paranoia grew
he grabbed his rifle and began scouring his property the crow called shortly after laughing
at Albert for his actions which he seemed to have observed the Relentless calls continued into 1983
with the crow targeting Albert and Monique a total of 17 times in one day the female crow began to appear more and
more frequently she could often be heard in the background of the calls and sometimes
made the calls herself on one occasion she called a funeral home and declared that Albert villaman
was dead staff showed up at the villman's home prepared to collect a corpse [Music]
by this point all four of the adult villain Sons Jackie Michelle Jean-Marie and Gilbert had received calls from The
Crow as had their wives others had witnessed these calls take place Michelle was the only one who had been
alone every time he was contacted by The Crow he claimed the crow had threatened
I know what time you leave for work when your wife comes home and when your children are alone
when Monique answered the calls the crow mostly remained silent in early 1983 she began encouraging him
to talk hoping to diminish some of his power that's when the death threat started
referring to Jean-Marie the crow told Monique I'm going to kill him I already scared
his wife I will do it again soon Christine often unplugged her phone to avoid the harassment
the crow seemed to be aware of this one night he called Monique and said I watch her I know she is alone at home
she can unplug her phone but maybe I'll come this evening Monique tried not to act perturbed she
insinuated they discovered the Crow's identity eventually he responded you [ __ ] you will never get me
besides I can't be touched one day the female crow called Christine at work pretending that her husband had
been in an accident on another occasion she called the fire department claiming that Albert villmann
had hanged himself by Friday March 4 1983 the crow had been harassing the vilmaan family for over a
year and a half that day Jean-Marie noticed an envelope tucked into the window shutters on his
house it was addressed to him inside was a single-page note written in Block capital letters
I will kill the vilmaan family three weeks went by before the crow made contact again
this time Jean-Marie managed to record the call as the crow made cryptic Revelations about there being quote
another bastard in the family the clearer of the two voices belongs to Jean-Marie villmann the softer distorted
voice is the crow d Ed [Music] a few weeks later a woman called a genre's work asking to speak with him
by the time Jean-Marie answered the crow was on the line a female's voice audible
in the background although the crow often talked to others about his hatred for Jean-Marie he
rarely spoke to Jean-Marie himself Jean-Marie tried to act cool and casual if he didn't react maybe he could
undermine the harasser they spoke on the phone for 40 minutes the crow told Jean-Marie that his
brother Jackie wasn't the only illegitimate child amongst the siblings he claimed that Monique was Keeping a
Secret from the whole family she had allegedly continued a relationship with the Jackie's father
after she married Albert and he'd impregnated her for a second time Jean-Marie tried to shrug things off
asking for more information as proof his composure seemed to aggravate The Crow the crow threatened to burn down
jean-marie's house he responded go ahead I'll just build another one the crow then threatened to rape
Christine Jean-Marie continued to remain calm saying I don't care the crow described Jean-Marie and
Christine's house making it clear he knew exactly what the interior looked like and what kind of furniture they had
I'll go after your kid he said and don't leave him lying around I'm watching him with binoculars
if I find him outside I'll take him away Jean-Marie could no longer maintain his
composure his son Gregory was his life he snapped back you bastard if you touch my kid you're a
dead man the police had agreed to set up wiretaps on Albert and Monique's telephone
Monique made the mistake of telling some family members about this the crow found out and the call stopped
on Wednesday April 27 1983 an envelope arrived in Albert and Monique's letterbox
written in the same block letters as the one sent to their son the letter red if you want me to stop let me offer you
a solution don't visit the boss anymore cut him off entirely if you don't I will execute the
threats I made to the boss and his little family and Jackie and his family have been
through enough it's the boss's turn to be considered a bastard he will console himself with his money
you choose life or death three weeks later Albert was at work when one of his colleagues told him
there was a woman on the phone asking to speak with him Albert picked up the receiver
the voice of the male Crow said you will hang yourself the next day another letter arrived at
Albert and benek's home this one was much longer than the others and written in scrolling cursive
I see nothing has changed it began the boss is still coming it went on to defend Jackie before
addressing Albert directly you old man you look very ill to me I'm quitting and you'll never know who
pissed you off for two years you may not hang yourself but I don't care because my revenge has been made
I hate you so much that I will spit on your grave the day you die this is my last letter and you will hear
no more from me you will wonder who I was but you will never find out goodbye my dear idiots
over a year went by with no further word from the mysterious Crow life returned to normal
Christine villmann worked as a seamstress at a local clothing Factory Tuesday October 16 1984 was a typical
work day for the 24 year old she knocked off at around 4 53 pm and to jumped into her car a black Renault 5.
four-year-old Gregory was just around the corner at his nanny's house Christine picked him up but she couldn't
stay to chat as she had a load of clothes that needed ironing the mother and son arrived home just
after five o'clock Gregory wanted to play outside there was a pile of gravel in the
driveway that he liked to use as a race track for his toy cars although it was a relatively warm autumn
day Gregory was recovering from a cold so Christine made him put on a Woolen hat first
she then went to a room towards the back of their house where the shutters were drawn
she turned to the radio up and got stuck into the ironing by the time Christine finished it was
about 5 30. she went outside to tell Gregory it was time to come indoors his toy cars sat on the gravel pile but
Gregory himself was nowhere to be seen Christine called out her son's name there was no response
she started searching around to the yard but couldn't find Gregory anywhere she went back inside in case Gregory was
hiding from her but the house was empty she approached one of her neighbors who was sweeping outside
he hadn't seen Gregory either nor had his wife who was sewing inside another neighbor was tending to their
cows in the nearby pasture but they hadn't noticed the young boy Panic washed over Christine
she got into her Renault and sped back to her nanny's house on the off chance Gregory had wandered back there
he hadn't Christine drove to the home of one of Gregory's friends in case he'd gone
there to play but Gregory wasn't anywhere to be seen meanwhile at 5 32 PM the phone rang at
the house of jean-marie's brother Michelle he lived next door to their parents in
ormondsay and was watching TV at the time Michelle immediately recognized the horse voice on the other line
this time it sounded muffled as though the caller had covered the mouthpiece with a handkerchief
I'm calling you because there is no answer next door the crow said I took revenge on the boss and kidnapped
his son I strangled him and threw him in the vallone his mother is looking for him but she
won't find him my revenge is done case File will be back shortly thank you for supporting us by listening to this
episode's sponsors thank you for listening to this episode's ads by supporting our sponsors
you support casefile to continue to deliver quality content thank you Monique and Albert villan were Tracked
Down nearby and informed of the call from The Crow Monique was horrified the crow had made many threats over the
years but this one was unusually specific Monique immediately called her daughter-in-law Christine to warn her
there was no answer Christine was still outside desperately searching for Gregory
instead Monique called her son Jean-Marie at work followed by the local police Jean-Marie raced home went inside and
grabbed his gun for a long time he'd been convinced that lilian's parents Roger and Paulette
jacquel were behind the crow it made sense given the Crow's peculiar concern for Jackie
Jean-Marie rushed over to the jacquel's home certain he would find his son there
when he arrived he saw two vehicles which he thought were police cars parked outside
he backed away a search party quickly gathered citizens and police scoured the woods
surrounding LA panch on the lookout for the four-year-old with long curly brown hair
he was dressed in a blue jacket dark green trousers and a blue Woolen cap the hours ticked By the Light giving way
to night still there was no sign of Gregory six kilometers Downstream from La panch
was the small village of dosel firefighters there searched the vallone river at 9 15 PM they came to a small band
just 10 meters past a small Footbridge they noticed something bobbing in the water against a weir
they got closer it was Gregory villemon a firefighter jumped in the river to retrieve Gregory's lifeless body
the young boy was obviously deceased he was fully clothed his wrists and ankles bound together with thin pieces
of rope his Woolen hat had been pulled over his face and was Loosely secured around his
neck with the same type of robe the firefighters removed Gregory's hat there were no signs of violence
on the contrary they were struck by how Serene and unblemished he looked as though he was in a peaceful sleep
[Music] Gregory hadn't been strangled like the crow said in fact the forensic pathologist who
conducted his autopsy couldn't find any signs that a struggle had taken place at
all there were no bruises on Gregory's body nor had the rope left any marks on his
skin his clothes were clean and there was no evidence of sexual assault a small amount of water found in
Gregory's distended lungs and foam in the corners of his mouth indicated his cause of death to be drowning
due to the cold temperature of the water forensic Pathologists concluded the young boy would have stopped breathing
within moments of being submerged there were a multitude of locations between LA panch and docel where the
killer could have dumped Gregory's body into the river the day after Gregory was killed tire
tracks and the imprints of a woman's shoe had been found in the riverbank at a clearing in the village of decimon
this was 2.3 kilometers from the vilmaan's home and a several kilometers Upstream from docel
police obtained a mannequin with similar proportions to the four-year-old they visited the location in decimon and
threw it into the water by the time the mannequin reached a docile it had passed through various
bends branches rocks and other obstacles given that Gregory's clothing hadn't been torn and his body showed no
scratches or bruises it was deemed impossible that he'd travel to that far Downstream
the mannequin was thrown from various other locations including behind a fire station right near the center of dosel
the station was mere meters from the location where Gregory had been found police concluded that this was most
likely the place from which his small body had been thrown Gregory's parents Jean-Marie and
Christine vilmaan were inconsolable little Gregory had been the light of their lives
he was a delightful intelligent child full of happiness and energy he loved to dance especially to the
music of Michael Jackson cheeky with a contagious laugh Gregory got a great thrill out of playing pranks
on his parents but for all his Mischief he was equally tender and affectionate he was particularly fond of his stuffed
monkey Kiki who he took with him everywhere Gregory loved hugs and kisses and would
sneak into his parents bed on weekends to enjoy the extra long cuddles complicating the villman's crippling
grief was the unbelievable reality that someone within their own family could do
something so cruel who could hate them enough to take the life of their only child
Jean-Marie cast suspicion on his brother's in-laws Roger and Paula jacquel and the couple were taken into
custody they both had airtight Alibis and were promptly ruled out as Jean-Marie and Christine struggled to
comprehend what was happening an envelope arrived in their mailbox the day after Gregory's death
it was addressed to Jean-Marie using swirling cursive inside was a short Anonymous letter
it read I hope that you die of grief boss your money can't give you back your son
here's my revenge you bastard the envelope was postmarked 5 15 pm on Tuesday October 16. the day Gregory was
killed it had been sent from the LA panch post office which was 1.3 kilometers north of
the vilmaan's home postal workers said the last mail collection occurred around 5 20 pm
but the mailbox could have been emptied anytime between 1 55 and 5 20 PM that day
given that Gregory was abducted sometime between 505 and 5 30 PM this presented a
few possibilities 1. the killer had sent the letter before speeding to the vilmaan's house to
snatch Gregory 2. the killer already had Gregory with them when they posted the letter
or three they hadn't acted alone it seemed unlikely that the killer would have sent the letter prior to the
kidnapping had they done so they would have had to have full confidence that the abduction
was going ahead how could they be sure Gregory would be playing outside what if the opportunity to abduct him
never arose there were simply too many variables but if they were working with an
accomplice this meant someone else could have taken care of the mail drop once the boy was taken
the task of overseeing the investigation was handed to local magistrate 33 year old judge Jean-Michel Lambert
Gregory's murder was expected to be an open and shut case all police had to do was identify the
crow and they'd have the Killer they knew the caller came from within the vilmaan family which narrowed down
the suspect list significantly but it wasn't as simple as it seemed Gregory's grandmother moniquevilleman
was one of 13 siblings alone all up the extended family consisted of over 140 individuals and previous
investigations to identify the caller had proved fruitless during the Crow's peak time of activity
several recipients had managed to record the calls but the recordings weren't of
particularly high quality the crow had made obvious attempts to disguise their voice speaking in a horse
raspy tone given the muffled sound it was likely they'd covered the receiver with a
handkerchief or piece of fabric as it stood nobody recognized The caller's Voice
began questioning relatives of the vilmaan family and a verifying alibis they gathered handwriting samples to
compare against the first and final letters sent to Jean-Marie one was in Block capitals the other in cursive
script individuals were required to write the message from the last letter with both
their left and right hands the samples were then sent to a handwriting expert for analysis
with so many relatives it was a slow moving process although Jean-Marie and Christine lived
in a quiet spot on the outskirts of La panch it wasn't isolated several residents lived nearby and had
been home or in the area at the time Gregory was abducted it had still been broad at daylight
one local man had been walking his dog near the villman's property but he hadn't seen any cars drive by or noticed
anything of Interest nor had any of the vilmaan's neighbors they were aware of the ongoing
harassment from The Crow had they witnessed any suspicious activity near the property they said
they would have reported it a man who lived further down the road recalled hearing a car drive up the hill
at around 505 PM but he never heard it drive back down again he never saw it so couldn't vouch for
the color or model in the days leading up to the crime several townsfolk had noticed an
unfamiliar green car circulating The Village at around 2PM on the day Gregory was
taken one man recalled seeing a beige colored van parked near the woods overlooking the vilmaan's home
a man and woman were inside he didn't get a good look at them but they appeared to have something hanging
around to their necks possibly binoculars or a camera this witness saw the same car driving
towards docel the village where Gregory's body was found at 4 45 pm no other cars were seen driving between
LA panch and docile during this key time frame hundreds of houses and several busy
factories overlooked at the vallone river between the two villages dozens of people had spent time near the
water on the night Gregory died yet no one had witnessed anything out of the ordinary
one woman had crossed the Footbridge in docel at around 5 30. she recorded looking into the river and noticing what
she thought was a garbage bag floating in the water in hindsight she wondered whether it
could have been Gregory's body the forensic pathologist attained this unlikely although the exact time of death
couldn't be confirmed they believed Gregory had likely died sometime around 6 pm
it was possible he might not have been thrown into the river until hours after he was killed
one local had witnessed a middle-aged man hanging around to the lepange post office around 5pm on October 15 and 16.
he had brown curly hair a strong build and wore glasses on October 22 six days after Gregory's
death the police released a composite sketch of this suspect asking anyone who recognized the man to come forward
a local man voluntarily presented himself to police he identified himself as the one in the
sketch he claimed he'd only been at the post office because he was waiting for a lift
to work from a friend police confirmed this to be true and the man and sketch were eliminated from the
investigation the Press quickly picked up on the case and a journalists from all over France
flocked to LA panch the Sleepy Village instantly became a hive of activity journalists fired for the wilman's
attention interviewing family members all over town in the hopes of unveiling some salacious details
if the villains were concealing any secrets every media Outlet wanted to be the first to break the story
before long more than 130 journalists stationed themselves around town LA pange and ormondsey were traditional
villagers residents were mostly private and shared the vilmaan's mentality that family
conflicts should be sorted out within one's family therefore the presence of the media
wasn't particularly well received when journalists poked around for information they were often told to mind
their own business others divulged to gossip and rumors about the family that the Press were
quick to spread one particularly salacious detail was that Gregory's grandmother had a history
of incest in her family another was that Gregory's grandfather Albert had been raised in a broken home
when he was just a baby his mother hit his three-year-old brother who suffered a fatal head wound
Albert's mother served time in prison upon her release she cheated on her husband which became the Catalyst for
him ending his own life when Albert was just 12 years old the Press were quick to paint the
villamons as a lower class and socially marginalized bunch of hillbillies played
by dark secrets in reality regardless of their solid background they were a relatively normal
working-class family typical of the area on Saturday October 20 Gregory vilmart's
funeral was held at the LA panch Cemetery hundreds of mourners gathered while members of the press hungrily snapped
photographs of the bereaved family police believed Gregory's killer was among the crowd and were on the lookout
for any suspicious Behavior it was a somber affair with emotions running higher Gregory's small body was carried out in
a child-sized coffin his beloved stuffed monkey Kiki to be buried by his side his mother Christine clung to her
husband as they shakily made their way through the procession as Gregory's coffin was lowered to the
ground Christine wailed in despair Gregory my baby why did they do this to you Gregory come back
it all became too much for Christine who collapsed loved ones hurried to carry her
unconscious body away his photographers eagerly captured the drama on Monday October 22 six days after
Gregory's death the police received an unprompted phone call from a local woman named Marie Angela Roche
she had married in to the villman family and harbored some suspicions of her own
Marianne urged the police to look into jean-marie's half-brother Jackie she believed that Jackie and his wife
Liliane were behind the crow police questioned Jackie that he had an airtight Alibi for the day of Gregory's
murder unbeknown to the rest of his family Jackie's wife Liliane had actually received a call from the crow seven
months earlier in March of 1984. the crow had spoken of his resentment for jean-maray and his plan to cast
suspicion against Liliane and her father once again he ranted about Jackie's illegitimate status and to the alleged
infidelities of his mother Monique Liliane had recorded the call and provided it as proof of her and her
husband's innocence police believed it to be genuine Jackie and Liliane villmann were not the
crow police found the accusation leveled against the couple by Marie Angela Roche
unusual it was merely based on the time Jackie had left his house on the morning of the
crime it had nothing to do with anything they also found it strange that mariange
called the police from a public telephone instead of her own home perhaps she didn't want someone in her
house to hear mariach was summoned to the police station to provide a statement she explained that she'd called from a
public phone so that she wouldn't wake her husband who was sleeping in preparation for a night shift
it was he who suggested that she contact authorities in addition to Jackie and Liliane
Marianne she implicated some distant relatives of the vilmaans married a couple Chantelle and Daniel ollard
police visited Chantelle and Daniel to see if marianja's allegations held any weight
they conducted a search of the couple's home but found nothing to link them to the crime
Chantelle and Daniel were taken into custody for questioning but quickly ruled out of the investigation
when asked where she was on the afternoon Gregory villmann was killed Marian Chala Roche said she'd been at
work her Alibi checked out but she'd been off work sick since October 18. two days
after Gregory's death police found this curious everything about her unsolicited
statement had them asking questions was it possible that mariange was casting blame on other members of the
family to detract attention from her own police soon visited Marie Angela rocha's
home in ormondsey to question her husband 29 year old Bernard LaRoche Bernard was a cousin of Jean-Marie
villman the two had grown up together but they drifted apart over the years yet they
lived somewhat parallel lives both worked as Factory Foreman in different organizations and both had
four-year-old Sons born just 10 days apart although they didn't talk much anymore
Bernard maintained a close friendship with jean-marie's brother Michelle the two considered each other best
friends and saw each other regularly [Music] Bernard told police that on the day
Gregory was abducted he'd spent most of the day with his art Louisa de Jacques she lived just 200 meters from the
LaRosa's home in the afternoon Bernard chopped a wood he and his four-year-old son Sebastian
then visited Michelle Wilman at his home around the corner at 4 30 PM they returned to Aunt luizets
Bernard had arranged to meet a friend there so they could go buy some wine together but the friend never arrived
instead Bernard drove to his friend's house but he wasn't there either [Music] Bernard returned to his aunt's house at
around 5 30 P.M he hung around for about 15 minutes before driving to the supermarket to buy
the wine at this point it was roughly 6 p.m he bought the wine then headed to the
nearby hotel to pick up some money he'd won on a recent bet he then returned to Aunt louisette's for
dinner before leaving to work the night shift at around 8 45 pm Bernard claimed he didn't hear about
Gregory villmann's murder until the following morning when asked to provide a handwriting
sample Bernard was reluctant it was only after insistence from mariange that he finally obliged
he was then free to leave police reflected on Bernard's movements from the day in question
curiously there was only a 45-minute window that was unaccounted for between 4 45 and 5 30 pm
the same time that Gregory was abducted [Music] foreign will be back shortly thank you for
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[Music] Michelle cornelly owned a cafe in docile not far from where Gregory's body was
found on the afternoon that the boy went missing Mr Corner Lee had noticed a strange man sitting in his establishment
he'd been there between 4 35 and 4 40 p.m and again between 5 and 5 15 pm he looked nervous and kept glancing at
both his watch and the Cafe's clock the men looked to be aged in his late 20s or early 30s he had a thick mop of
brown hair and a thick brown mustache that came to the corners of his mouth another witness had spotted a similar
looking man lurking around Gregory School the day of and before the crime only this one had a thicker mustache
that dropped under his chin and was driving a green car around 5pm on October 16 this witness
spotted the same man near the lepange garbage dump just a short distance from Gregory's home
both Mr konalei and the school witness had helped police create a composite sketch of this man
there was no denying The Uncanny resemblance to Bernardo LaRoche Bernard also drove a metallic greenish
gray Peugeot 305. a car of similar color had been seen circling La panch in the days leading up
to Gregory's abduction a team of handwriting experts were tasked with comparing the letters from
the crow to the handwriting samples provided by numerous family members they announced their cursory findings
stating that the writing on the final letter from the crow matched that of Bernardo LaRoche
they'd also discovered something else of Interest handwriting Impressions from another piece of paper
one of the handwriting experts highlighted the imprint with a special toner and placed the piece of paper
against a grazing light at the bottom of the paper two letters were clearly visible B and L
the initials were superimposed against Bernard LaRoche's signature there were undeniable similarities
the team wanted more time to conduct tests and confirm for sure but for the police this was all they needed to hear
the following day they went to the LaRoche residence and placed Bernard under arrest
his wife marianche was detained as a witness a search of the LaRoche home uncovered a
record of the grand JoJo song we are thirsty a song which the crow had played to the vilmaans
a telescope was also found the LaRoche's house was positioned on a hill with views towards the homes of
Gregory's grandparents Albert and Monique and Gregory's Uncle Michelle it was possible Bernard had watched
their comings and goings with this telescope and used this information to taunt them with
Bernard claimed he didn't need a telescope to see Albert and Monique's house and that even with one Michelle's
house still wasn't visible according to Bernard his father had given him the telescope 15 years prior
and it hadn't been used for some time Bernard's father Marcel had died in June 1982 a little over two and a half years
before Gregory was killed in the search police found a note Marcel had written that claimed Albert is
blackmailing me they wondered if Bernard could be motivated to seek revenge on the vilmaan
family on behalf of his father to whom he was very close but Bernard said he'd found the note
after his father's death he claimed it didn't relate to Albert villman but to his maternal Uncle Albert
Jacob Bernard strongly denied having anything to do with Gregory vilmann's death
an officer asked if he'd ever sent threatening letters to the vilmaan family Bernard responded
never I have nothing against them think why would I do that tell me why in the end
it was a legitimate question although the circumstantial evidence was stacking up against the Bernard LaRoche police
had yet to identify a compelling motive no one in the family had previously suspected Bernard of being the crow
he was very close with Gregory's Uncle Michelle and maintained good relations with the family overall
he wasn't known to be an aggressive or Shady person and remained impartial to any family conflicts
upon reflection these factors actually worked against him Bernard saw Michelle several times a
week and was privy to all that was going on in the villman's lives he lived close to Gregory's grandparents
and was present at family gatherings this not only meant he had access to the information divulged by the crow he was
also close enough to witness the impact of the Crow's ongoing harassment the LaRoche family had a phone line
installed in 1981 coinciding with the cause to Jean-Marie and Christine villmann
their house also had a staircase enduring several of the Crow's phone calls several recipients thought they
could hear someone climbing steps in the background criminal profilers believed that the
crow likely presented themselves to the world as pleasant and somewhat withdrawn
they would avoid drawing attention to themselves by being amicable and friendly behind closed the doors it was a
different story the crow was likely driven by hate jealousy and resentment Bernard had most of the things that his
cousin Jean-Marie villman had but nothing came quite as easy Bernard's mother had died shortly after
giving birth he and his father went to live with his maternal grandparents Jean-Marie on the other hand had enjoyed
a relatively normal childhood surrounded by his parents and siblings it had taken Bernard six years of hard
work and study to prove himself worthy of the position of factory foreman and not until his late twenties
in contrast jean-marie's form and role had been handed to him at a young age without significant effort or any
qualifications his role also paid better Bernard's marriage to mariange had been
marred with arguments and accusations of infidelity jean-marie's marriage to Christine was
harmonious and solid even fatherhood had presented Bernard with a unique challenge
his son Sebastian had been born with a large cyst on his left temple it was surgically removed but had to be
constantly drained by a tube behind his ear because of this Sebastian required constant supervision
little Gregory villmann on the other hand had been the very picture of good health
Christine vilnan recalled that Bernard had tried to hit on her at a family wedding several years prior
perhaps he'd never recovered from The Sting of the rejection and resented that Christine had chosen Jean-Marie over him
the crow had been fixated on Jackie vilmaan's illegitimate status within the family
he had alleged there was another quote bastard child among them rumors spread that Bernard could have in
fact been Albert villmann's biological son if Bernard was suspicious of this it could explain his resentment towards
Albert perhaps he begrudged the fact that Albert had taken responsibility for Jackie but not for his own flesh and
blood Bernard's close friendship with Michelle villman was also significant Michelle was known to be immature and
naive he harbored unhealthy jealousy towards people he viewed as above him in particular his brother Jean-Marie
inferiority was a real soft spot for Michelle and his fits of Envy had previously caused many conflicts within
the family shortly before Gregory's death Michelle villman and his wife had visited
Jean-Marie and Christine's home the couple had showed off their new leather lounge suite and talked about
their plans to extend their house it was highly likely that Michelle told Bernard about this visit
if Bernardo LaRoche harbored intense feelings of jealousy and inadequacy towards Jean-Marie investigators
believed this could have been enough to finally push him over the edge shortly after Gregory's death Bernard
had told journalists to jean-care from Paris match magazine they got what they deserved they've paid
for what they've done Bernardo LaRoche maintained his story about going to find his friend during
The crucial time period on Tuesday October 16. he said that when he returned to his
aunt louisette's house at around 5 30 p.m his sister-in-law Muriel ball was there watching television
police questioned Muriel the 15 year old high school student had recently moved in with the laroces to
help take care of their son she confirmed that on the afternoon of October 16 she'd taken the bus home from
school Muriel went to her aunt to Louisa's house at around 5 20 P.M Bernard LaRoche was already there he was
sitting in the kitchen with his son in his lap watching television and given that Gregory villmann had been
abducted sometime after 503 PM this meant Bernard wouldn't have had enough time to pull off the crime
with these Alibi verified police had no choice but to let him go however investigators reviewing the
statement soon noticed the discrepancy Bernard said when he'd arrived at louisette's house Muriel was there
watching television however Muriel gave the reverse she said that Bernard was already there when she
arrived after school something wasn't right Muriel had told police that her usual
bus driver dropped her home on the afternoon in question police made inquiries around Muriel's
high school and discovered that the usual driver hadn't been working that day several of Muriel's classmates recalled
that she hadn't been on the bus at all Muriel had a distinct head of curly red hair and a face full of freckles so her
absence was easily noted one friend recalled saying Muriel leave school in a cocky green vehicle that
matched the description of Bernard LaRoche's Peugeot police confronted Muriel with this
discrepancy it didn't take long for her to crack she admitted she'd lied about catching
the bus home according to Muriel when she finished school on October 16. Bernard was
waiting out the front in his car his son Sebastian was with him Bernard called Muriel over
it was the first time he had ever picked Muriel up from school Shea assumed it was because he needed
someone to babysit Sebastian she hopped in Bernard drove them to LA panch Muriel wasn't familiar with the area her
parents didn't have a car so she didn't know the surrounding region well they drove up a hill and Bernard parked
on the side of the road Muriel could see a white house with a Red Roof Bernard got out but didn't explain why
he walked towards the house Muriel stayed in the car with Sebastian when Bernard returned shortly afterwards
he had a small boy with him who was wearing a Woolen hat Muriel hadn't seen the child before but
he looked to be the same age as Sebastian the boy got into the back seat Bernard made one more quick stop in La
panch then drove the group to another Village that Muriel wasn't familiar with Bernard got out taking the boy with him
she wasn't sure how long Bernard was gone for but when he returned he was alone they then drove back to Aunt louisette's
house arriving around 5 30 pm Bernard left to buy wine before returning home and then eventually
leaving for his night shift at the factory the next morning Muriel saw a story about Gregory villmann's murder in the
newspaper she immediately recognized him as the boy in the car and knew that Bernard was
responsible at the request of police Muriel drew a sketch of their roots and the places
they stopped in LA panch and docile the locations coincided with both the vilmaan residents and where Gregory's
body had been found Muriel told police she was relieved to get this off her chest
she explained I didn't say anything in the days following the tragedy because I was
afraid to talk about it I lied so that my brother-in-law and my sister wouldn't be bothered
I thought it was better to tell the truth because it was too serious a thing to hide
police were stunned by Muriel's confession concerned she could be making it up to
get attention they gave her the option to recant her statement Muriel declined adamant that she was
telling the truth she stated it's true I remember it perfectly I will remember it all my life
the presiding Magistrate Judge Jean-Michel Lambert was out of town when Muriel confessed
it was therefore decided that no action would be taken until his return three days later on Monday November 5
judge lamb there met with Muriel she repeated her confession saying she hadn't come forward earlier because she
was afraid of Bernard Bernard LaRoche was immediately arrested and charged with the murder of Gregory
vilmann Bernard's family were devastated Marie Ange tearfully told journalists there was no way her husband was guilty
she said he couldn't even kill a rabbit it was a sentiment shared by others Jackie vilmaan told the press that if
Bernard was guilty it was a Jekyll and hired situation even Gregory's parents found it hard to
believe with the Jean-Marie telling reporters that he could no longer trust anyone
he'd always found Bernard to be helpful and kind he stated if it's really him let Justice be served
a Press Conference was held during which should judge Lambert revealed that Muriel ball was a partial witness and
had been in the car with Bernard this was a big mistake at the time there was nothing in French
law that protected a minor from being taken into custody Muriel was only 15. she had learning
difficulties and was in a special education class at school Muriel hadn't been offered a lawyer or
advised of her right to remain silent by publicly releasing her name judge Lambert had essentially outed Muriel to
her entire family the following day journalists were summoned to the home of Bernard and
Marianne LaRoche the family had an announcement to make as the Press gathered outside Muriel
approached to their microphones Stone faced and with her chin quivering slightly she said
I wasn't in Bernard's car I have never been to LA panch or docile I never went to that place where that
kid was drowned [Music] Muriel admitted she'd made the whole story up she said the police told her that
Bernardo LaRoche had already confessed to the crime before feeding her details they threatened to send her to a
Reformatory school if she didn't go along with the confession Muriel claimed she only complied out of
fear as for the sketches of the roots they supposedly took Muriel said a police officer had shown her these locations
she was simply repeating his instructions Marielle said she took the bus home as
usual on October 16 and didn't see Bernard at all that day she told the reporters
Bernard is innocent Bernard is innocent I never went with my brother-in-law Muriel went to the courthouse and
formally retracted her previous statement judge Lambert was undeterred even without the teenager's confession
he believed there was enough evidence against Bernard LaRoche to secure a conviction for Gregory vilmann's murder
Bernard remained in custody as investigators continued building their case against him
for many Muriel's retraction didn't exonerate Bernard in fact it had the opposite effect
a neighbor of the LaRoche family told the press that on the night Bernard was arrested he overheard Muriel being
beaten by her family Bernard's wife mariange strongly denied this accusation a family member later explained that
they'd thrown rocks at trespassing journalists which could have accounted for the noise
Marie Ange told reporters the family had no influence over Muriel whatsoever Muriel backed this up
she maintained the police had scared her into providing the confession and she'd
only come forward with the truth because she needed to clear Bernard's name by Friday November 9 24 days had passed
since Gregory villmann was killed all of the individuals Bernardo LaRoche had mentioned crossing paths with on the
afternoon of Gregory's death were assembled at the local courthouse hundreds of angry locals gathered
outside hoping to catch a glimpse of the alleged child killer and the other players in the story that continued to
dominate National headlines as Bernard was led from a police car some members of the crowd chanted kill
him kill him Witnesses were able to verify Bernard's movements for the entire day of October
16. save for that crucial 45-minute window where Gregory was abducted Bernard's lawyer called for his
immediate release the request was denied the Gregory's parents the fact that Bernard had visited Gregory's Uncle
Michelle on the day of the crime was highly suspicious they knew how close the two cousins were
and how jealous Michelle was of jean-marie's success on the night of Gregory's murder
Michelle had also been so agitated that he'd been placed in police custody although Michelle had reported receiving
calls from the crow over the years he'd been alone every time it was no different when he received the
final call announcing that Gregory had been killed what if this call hadn't actually taken
place at all was it possible that Michelle was just following orders from someone else
Jean-Marie started prying Michelle for information which deeply angered their parents
they'd always been very protective of Michelle and the insinuation that he could have been involved in Gregory's
death was something they weren't prepared to stand for it caused a great rift in the family
Jean-Marie severed all tires with his parents completely a groundskeeper was clearing out some
fur trees on the riverbank behind the fire station in dosel it was right next to the location Muriel
ball claimed Bernardo LaRoche had gotten out of the car with Gregory it was where investigators had concluded
Gregory's body was put in the river before floating Downstream in nearby bushes the groundskeeper found
a hypodermic needle and a two milliliter vial of insulin they immediately notified the police
used for the daily treatment of diabetes when given in high doses insulin can cause a person to slip into a
hyperglycemic coma the question was therefore raised as to whether Gregory could have been injected
with insulin prior to being thrown in the river this would explain the Serene look on
his face as well as the lack of defensive marks on his body the forensic pathologist who conducted
Gregory's autopsy confirmed this was possible however they hadn't been instructed to
run any toxicology testing nor had they checked Gregory's body for any needle marks
when freelance journalist sylvain abar found out about the insulin he began making inquiries and made a startling
discovery someone with ties to the investigation was indeed a diabetic Muriel Bowles
mother Janine sylvain Tracked Down Janine's nurse she confirmed that Janine used the same
brand of insulin and syringes as those found on the riverbank case Magistrate Judge Jean-Michel
Lambert didn't think the line of inquiry was worth pursuing further it was common for diabetics to
administer insulin in public places and the brand was widely used so the discovery wasn't necessarily attributed
to the crime besides some new Witnesses had come forward with some much more compelling
information at the textile Factory where Christine villamon worked it was customary for
employees to be let out just before 5 PM so that those who needed to could make the five o'clock train
a majority of Staff members took advantage of this even if they had their own transport
after clocking out on the afternoon of Tuesday October 16 1984. one employee was walking towards the LA panch post
office to visit her sister who lived nearby she saw one of her colleagues parked
outside of the post office it was Christine vilmaan moments later another co-worker
approached they noticed Christine doing a U-turn in front of the building she didn't drive towards Gregory's
nanny's house like she cleaned but in the opposite direction two other co-workers came forward to
report that They too had seen Christine vilmann at the LA panch post office straight after work
they had watched as she dropped at least one envelope into the mailbox the final letter sent by the crow had
been postmarked 5 15 P.M the investigation was getting bigger than the local police could handle
under immense pressure to solve the increasingly turbulent case and judge Lambert finally appointed the National
Police to take over they confronted Christine with the allegations that she'd been spotted at
the post office on the afternoon her son was killed Christine said that her colleagues were
mistaken she had been there the day before Christine claimed that after finishing
work on Monday she'd posted a check for a mail order police contacted the company in question
they produced an invoice confirming they had indeed received a mail order from Christine vilmarn which had been dated
Monday October 15. when Christine described the outfit she'd worn on the Monday it matched the
description given by those who believed they'd seen her at the post office on the Tuesday
but for the new investigators enough seeds of Doubt had been planted to Warrant the question
could Christine villaman have been involved in her son's murder it was a possibility they'd considered
from early on for a few reasons neighbors who had helped Christine look for Gregory when he first went missing
hadn't recalled seeing the young boy play outside at all they also hadn't seen anyone else in the
area this led some to doubt Christine's story from the get-go whoever posted the letter claiming the
crime had to have full certainty that they'd have access to the boy and would be able to pull off the crime
as the boy's mother Christine could ensure this Gregory's post-mortem concluded that the
four-year-old had died from drowning a theory emerged that Gregory might have died by accident
perhaps Christine had left him unsupervised while he was taking a bath and he'd either drowned or been
electrocuted fearing the repercussions she could have staged a crime to deflect attention from
herself alternatively she could have intentionally drowned him in the tub before disposing of his body in the
vallone river to place the blame on the crow the problem with both of these theories
was timing Christine had picked Gregory up from his nanny's house just after 5 PM
neighbors had then seen Christine desperately looking for her son just after 5 30.
if Gregory had died in Christine's care it meant she had just under half an hour
to get him redressed and clean the bathroom for any traces of accident or Foul Play
she to then have to get his body to the car without her neighbors seeing before making the 12 kilometer round trip from
LA panch to docel somewhere in all this she had to write and post a letter claiming the crime and
find time to call Michelle vilmaan and take responsibility for the murder all without being seen
nobody had seen Christine or her black Renault on the road leading from LA panch to docel
although one of Christine's neighbors recalled they were walking towards the villman's home at around 5pm on October
16. Christine drove past giving them a small wave by the time the neighbor reached the
villman's house Christine's Renault wasn't in the carport the vallone river contained unique
microorganisms but the water found in Gregory's lungs during his autopsy hadn't been tested
therefore there was no way of confirming whether he had been drowned in the river
or elsewhere [Music] with the media and public still fixated on Gregory villmann's murder it didn't
take long for word to spread that Christine was now being considered a suspect the possibility that the young boy had
been killed by his mother was scandalous news papers and magazines didn't hold back
with Sensational headlines and articles geared towards Christine's guilt they honed in on the possibility that
Christine could have been the Crow from the very beginning the public were quick to jump on board
within days the same people who were sympathizing with The Grieving mother were now accusing her
Christine responded those who believe I'm guilty are mistaken why would I have done that I no
longer have a child I don't have anything [Music] police began looking for any discrepancies in Christine's statements
and exploring possible motives but Christine's story about the afternoon in question had never changed
they looked for evidence that Christine could have been cheating on Jean-Marie what if Gregory wasn't jean-marie's
child after all was it possible that Christine could have had an affair with Bernard LaRoche
could she have been working in cahoots with Bernard or another of jean-maray's relatives
but there was nothing to suggest she was anything but unwaveringly faithful Christine and Jean-Marie had remained by
one another sides throughout the entire ordeal and the accusations against Christine didn't change that
they appeared in public holding hands and gave interviews strongly rejecting the possibility that Christine could
have been involved in Gregory's death in any capacity still consumed by grief at the loss of
their son the couple was advised that having another baby as soon as possible could help with the healing process
Christine soon found out she was pregnant when news got out outrage ensued some viewed her haste to have another
baby as a sign that she wasn't affected by Gregory's death others thought Christine's pregnancy was
a form of protection if she was guilty of killing Gregory her fragile state meant she might be spared
from jail Christine and Jean-Marie denied all the rumors and accusations they publicly announced their desire to
undergo a lie detector test the request was sent to the French president it was denied
in addition to having a new person of interest for Gregory's murder the case against Bernard LaRoche started falling
apart when the team of handwriting experts had examined the final letter sent by the
crow the minutes of their meeting hadn't been recorded in compliance with the code of criminal procedure
therefore their evidence about the impressions of Bernard LaRoche's initials were deemed invalid on a
technicality the letter had since been tested for fingerprints but the wrong material had
been used not only did this mean no fingerprints were detected but the Impressions were
no longer visible any possible evidence on the ladder had been effectively destroyed
speculation of a conspiracy theory started to take hold there were allegations that the case's Magistrate
Judge Jean-Michel Lambert had been working closely with Bernard's defense team questions were raised as to why the
evidence was so poorly handled why hadn't further forensic testing been ordered during Gregory's post-mortem
was Judge Lambert simply trying to throw Christine under the bus just to deflect
suspicion from Bernard but as Bernard's lawyers pointed out there were other questions too
Gregory's parents had described him as being wary of strangers that therefore didn't make sense that he
would have happily followed Bernard into his car without protest the two barely knew each other
conversely had Gregory screamed or fought surely his mother or neighbors would have heard something
furthermore there was no way that Bernard could have known that Gregory would have been playing outside
unsupervised on the afternoon of the crime nothing could have guaranteed him that
there would be no Witnesses the idea that he preemptively picked up Muriel Bowl to help him pull off the
kidnapping was therefore implausible it also made no sense that he would have kidnapped Gregory in the presence of his
young son and sister-in-law additionally Bernard had no prior criminal record hadn't made any
semblance of a confession and most importantly no legitimate reason to kill Gregory villman
by February 1985 three and a half months had passed since Gregory's murder with the case against Bernardo LaRoche
becoming increasingly unstable judge Lambert made a controversial decision Bernardo LaRoche would be released from
romant on judicial supervision Bernard immediately returned to his house and work with the journalists
following him every step of the way [Music] meanwhile headlines continue to circulate about Christine villaman's
possible involvement in her son's death the pressure against the villains was mounting
in late March Christine was interrogated for nine hours her story never changed [Music]
a newly appointed panel of handwriting experts was tasked with examining the letters from the crow
while the first team believed the writing was a match for Bernard LaRoche the new panel concluded that Bernard's
handwriting was mostly incompatible the family member whose handwriting showed the most consistencies with the
crow was deemed to be none other than Christine vilmaan [Music] finding was announced by the media
before investigators had a chance to break the news to Christine and Jean-Marie now four months pregnant the news had a
profound impact on Christine she started bleeding and had to be rushed to hospital
investigators visited her at her bedside as hordes of journalists gathered outside
they revealed to Christine that her handwriting matched the crow at a probability of 80 percent
Christine commented you can have me do as many dictations as you want and say it's a 100 match it
will not change my behavior or the truth the results did nothing to change Jean-Marie villman's mind
he told reporters between the experts and Bernard's word I trust my wife but For The Grieving father it was all
becoming too much not only had he lost his beloved Son he felt like the media and a law
enforcement were trying to turn him against his wife the health of their unborn child was now
in danger for Jean-Marie Bernardo LaRoche's guilt was obvious he was convinced the police were
involved in some kind of cover-up why was a guilty man walking free while his wife was being tortured with such
cruel and unfounded accusations [Music] on March 29 Jean-Marie visited Gregory's
grave it had been five and a half months since Gregory's lifeless body had been pulled
from the river as his father knelt before Gregory's white headstone adorned with flowers
angel statues and a picture of Gregory's smiling face Jean-Marie thought he heard the voice of
his young son go ahead Papa it said [Music] to be continued next week [Music] [Music]
[Music]

*** Content Warning: child victim *** [Part 1 of 2] The extended Villemin family lived in the Vosges region of north-eastern France. From 1981, several members of the family started to receive anonymous, threatening phone calls from a mysterious caller they eventually labelled The Crow.

Young couple Jean-Marie and Christine Villemin lived in the small village of Lépanges with their four-year-old son Grégory. They became The Crow’s main target. Then on October 16 1984, after several years of harassment, The Crow finally delivered on one of their threats.

Listen to part 2 here https://youtu.be/IBmM5-q2Fbk

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-246-gregory-villemin-part-1

Brief Summary

The episode details the kidnapping and murder of four-year-old Gregory Vilmann in La Panch, France, amidst family turmoil and disturbing phone harassment.

Key points

The Crow's Identity Crisis. Tensions rise as family members suspect each other of being The Crow.
The Crow's Threats. The Vilmaan family is terrorized by a mysterious caller known as The Crow.
Christine's Desperate Search. Christine frantically searches for her missing son, Gregory.
The Call from The Crow. Michelle receives a chilling call revealing Gregory has been kidnapped.
Discovery of Gregory's Body. Firefighters find Gregory's lifeless body in the river, shocking the community.
The Anonymous Letter. An anonymous letter arrives, taunting Jean-Marie about his son's death.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It's not you, it's your old man.

The Crow's chilling response to Christine.

9:54WatchMay 6, 2023

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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