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Biography[]
Lucien-Gilles de Vallière was born on October 25, 1967 in Hésingue.[2] His father was a brilliant but “cold-tempered” math teacher, while his mother looked after him. He was an only child.[3]
In 1976, at the age of 9, he was raped by a stranger, who dragged him into a cellar and forced him to perform oral sex on him. Vallière was traumatized by the attack and his parents' indifference, and began brushing his teeth excessively.[3]
In 1979, he left Haut-Rhin and moved to Annemasse. It was at this time that he began dressing up as a girl, then gagging himself. This fantasy, reiterated out of disgust for women, stayed with him for several years. When his parents separated in 1982, Vallière decided to stay with his mother.[3]
In 1984, his mother came across his women's clothes and decided to throw them out.[3] Having lost his bearings, Vallière decided to reproduce his “scenario” on young girls.[4]
He passed his baccalauréat in July 1986, then moved to Geneva to study chemistry.[5] He abandoned this course in 1987, returning to live with his mother to devote himself to computer studies, which he pursued until his arrest in 1991.[3]
Crimes[]
On June 21, 1985, 8-year-old Angélique was walking home from school when Vallière lured her into the basement of her Annemasse apartment. Once downstairs, he tied her up with a cord. She takes advantage of the fact that his back is turned to run towards the elevator. The rope around her neck jams and blocks the elevator. Angélique escapes unharmed from the hanging and Vallière flees after the attack.[6]
On December 14, 12-year-old Stéphanie was on her way home from school when she was dragged into the basement of her Annemasse apartment. Vallière tried to choke her and threatened to kill her if she refused to keep quiet. As the girl began to scream, Vallière began to strangle her. Stephanie feigns death and passes out. When she woke up a few minutes later, Vallière had already fled. After filing a complaint, Stéphanie drew up a sketch, but the investigation made no progress.[3]
On March 13, 1986, at around 4:30 p.m., 18-year-old Vallière broke into the home of 10-year-old Sophie Bouvier, who was alone in her Annemasse apartment. He took her to her parents' bed and undressed her. After touching her, Vallière notices a bathtub. He runs a bath and plunges Sophie's head into the water, drowning her. Meanwhile, Sophie's mother, who is at work, tries to call her daughter, but worries that she can't be reached. At around 5pm, Guillaume Bouvier, the girl's brother, and his friend Jérôme, aged 13, returned home from school. Surprised to find the door locked, Guillaume opens the apartment with his own key. They bump into Vallière, who asks if Sophie has returned. The young man is leaving the apartment when the phone rings again. Guillaume picks up the phone and is greeted by his mother, who is worried that he hasn't heard from Sophie. After Guillaume asks her who the young man is, the mother leaves work and rushes into the family apartment. Meanwhile, Guillaume and Jérôme search for Sophie and find her gagged and drowned in the bathtub. The two teenagers freed her from her bonds and called emergency services, but resuscitation was unsuccessful: Sophie had drowned, aged 10.[3]
Guillaume and Jérôme draw up a sketch of Sophie's killer. An investigation into the murder and sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 15 was opened the next day. The press, in charge of the case, gives the nickname of the “Annemasse Monster”. The sketch was circulated, leading to hundreds of denunciations. Stephanie was shown the sketch of Sophie's killer, and identified him as her attacker.[5]
At the beginning of April 1986, Jean-Luc Clouard, a young journalist, was taken into police custody. He admitted having gone to Annemasse on the day of the crime, as part of his business travels, but denied having killed Sophie.[5] After several hours of questioning, he was finally cleared and released, after his timetable had been corroborated.[3]
In mid-April 1986, a man resembling the sketch was caught in flagrante delicto spying outside Sophie's school. Placed in police custody, he collapsed after learning that he was suspected of murder and sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 15. He confessed to being at Sophie's school because he said he had fallen in love with one of the pupils' mothers. Regarding the crime, he claims to have worked in the bank where he was employed at the time.[5] His alibi was verified and confirmed by the investigators, who released him.[7]
One afternoon in January 1989, Sylvie, 15, was on her way home from school, when she was attacked from behind at the entrance to her apartment. Vallière tried to rape her, but the teenager fought back. In the struggle, a vase broke, sending the assailant fleeing. Chloroform was found at the crime scene, but could not be traced back to the buyer.[3]
On the night of August 19-20, 1990, she was attacked from behind near a bridge in Annemasse. Vallière tries to rape her, but decides not to when the young woman decides to consent. He fled, leaving his victim unconscious. Nathalie, who had mild cognitive impairments, had become disoriented in the streets of Annemasse. She told police that her attacker was carrying a backpack.[3]
In night in January 1991, Vallière broke into a young woman's home, pushed her to the floor and tried to rape her by blocking her breathing. The noise woke up the victim's companion, who chased Vallière, tripped and seriously injured his arm. In the meantime, Vallière fled. This case will not be attributed to the others, as Vallière did not use his paraphernalia.[5]
Arrest and incarceration[]
On the night of March 24-25, 1991, at around 3 a.m., the police were called to a burglary. After driving down a street in Annemasse, they came across Vallière, who fled when he saw them. Vallière was caught and arrested after a few metres of pursuit. His backpack was searched and found to contain plasters, cords and a tear-gas canister. Questioned about his presence on the street at this hour, Vallière declared that he was looking for the people who had assaulted him some time earlier. Convinced that the suspect's paraphernalia was that of the crimes, the gendarmes searched his mother's apartment. In her bedroom, they discovered several press articles by the “Annemasse Monster”, as well as 4,200 shots of young women that Vallière had taken from his bedroom. Back at the police station, the gendarmes told Vallière they had enough evidence against him. After asking him if he was responsible for Sophie's murder, Vallière replied that he was the culprit and admitted to the five attacks of which the police suspected him.[3] In the wake of his confession, he admitted to having committed six other attacks, in Annemasse and Geneva, between the end of the 1980s and January 1991.[5]
The next day, 23-year-old Vallière was charged with murder, attempted murder, attempted aggravated rape, sexual assault, death threats and false imprisonment, then remanded in custody at the Grenoble-Varces prison.[3]
The student's arrest was met with incomprehension by those closest to him: his mother and his two former girlfriends were appalled. His chosen lawyer, Jane Canet-Fischer, is also surprised to see a killer in this “boy with the face of an angel”. As for his father, he remains indifferent to the arrest and declares to Me Canet-Fischer that he has severed all ties with him.[3]
Vallière's defense is based on the fact that his acts are linked to a split personality, which renders him criminally irresponsible and impossible to stand trial.[8] However, the psychiatric experts refuted this argument, finding that Vallière's preparation of the acts and his attitude showed no abolition of discernment.[3]
In February 1993, Vallière was sentenced to 7 years' imprisonment for three of the aggravated sexual assaults.[3]
Trial and Sentencing[]
On December 6, 1993, he went on trial before the Annecy Assize Court for the murder of Sophie Bouvier, the attempted murder of Stéphanie and the attempted rape of Nathalie. He was 26 years old at the time.[3]
When he entered the courtyard, Vallière's physique was surprisingly thin: he was 1.83 m tall and weighed 60 kg. When Guillaume asked him why he had drowned Sophie, the accused replied that the water was a fantasy. After explaining that he had used cold water to drown the little girl, Vallière changed his story, saying that he had used lukewarm water, to be careful with her last moments. At the time of the trial, debates against child murderers and rapists were at their height, following the successive arrests of Michel Sydor and Patrick Tissier, already convicted of murder(s) in the past.[5] Mention was also made of the future implementation of life imprisonment in France for these types of criminals. During the closing arguments, the public prosecutor requested the maximum sentence for Vallière: life imprisonment with a 30-year security period. The defendant's lawyer, Maître Jane Canet-Fischer, asked for extenuating circumstances, in view of the rape he had suffered as a child and his parents' indifference to the attack.[3]
On December 9, Vallière was sentenced to life imprisonment with a 30-year security period.[4]
Appeal in cassation[]
After the verdict, Vallière and Me Canet-Fischer appealed to the French Supreme Court.[5]
On October 12, 1994, the Court of Cassation overturned the verdict on the grounds that the 30-year security period could not be applied to crimes committed prior to Decision no. 86-215 DC of September 3, 1986.[9] The Chambre Criminelle reduced the security period to 22 years, this being the maximum sentence applicable at the time the crime was committed. Vallière will not be retried for these offences, however, as the Court is of the opinion that the sentence should be reduced: this is known as cassation without referral.[10]
Mrs Bouvier and Stéphanie contested this decision, but on March 29, 1995, the objections were declared inadmissible by the Court of Cassation.[11]
Life in prison[]
Available for release since 2013, Vallière is still incarcerated at this date and is serving his sentence at the Melun detention center.[3]
Victims[]
Confirmed victims[]
| Name | Age | Date of Death | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sophie Bouvier | 10 | March 13, 1986 | Drowning |
Survivors[]
| Name | Age | Date of Attack |
|---|---|---|
| Angélique | 8 | June 21, 1985 |
| Stéphanie | 12 | December 14, 1985 |
| Sylvie | 15 | January 1989 |
| Nathalie | 21 | August, 20 1990[12] |
| Young woman | in their twenties | January 1991[13] |
Timeline[]
Bibliography[]
Literature[]
Articles[]
Documentaries[]
Television[]
- “Gilles de Vallière, L'assassin aux cordelettes” on February 8, 2015 in Faites entrer l'accusé, presented by Frédérique Lantieri on France 2.[5][link needed]
- “Le tueur à la cordelette” on May 7, 2022 in Au bout de l'enquête, la fin du crime parfait?, presented by Marie Drucker on France 2.[3][link needed]
YouTube Documentaries[]
Podcasts[]
- “Gilles de Vallière, le “ pervers ‘ d'Annemasse’ on February 15, 2021 and January 21, 2022 in Hondelatte ranconte presented by Christophe Hondelatte on Europe 1.[7][link needed]
- “Affaire Lucien-Gilles de Vallière: qui est vraiment le “monstre d'Annemasse”?” on September 26, 2022 in L'Heure du Crime presented by Jean-Alphonse Richard on RTL.[6][link needed]
In popular culture[]
Film adaptation[]
Related Articles[]
See also[]
Links[]
Notes[]
References[]
- ↑ https://www.epresse.fr/quotidien/le-dauphine-libere/annecy-rumilly-les-aravis/2022-07-09/sommaire [bare URL]
- ↑ https://www.epresse.fr/quotidien/le-dauphine-libere/annecy-rumilly-les-aravis/2022-07-09/sommaire
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 https://auvio.rtbf.be/live/au-bout-de-lenquete-538472
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1993/12/11/aux-assises-de-haute-savoie-un-homme-de-vingt-six-ans-est-condamne-a-la-prison-a-perpetuite-pour-des-agressions-a-caractere-sexuel_3974671_1819218.html
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 https://www.terrafemina.com/article/faites-entrer-laccuse-gilles-de-valliere-lassassin-aux-cordelettes_a251157/1
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://www.rtl.fr/actu/justice-faits-divers/affaire-lucien-gilles-de-valliere-qui-est-vraiment-le-monstre-d-annemasse-7900189156
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://www.europe1.fr/emissions/hondelatte-raconte/gilles-de-valliere-le-pervers-dannemasse-lintegrale-4087597
- ↑ https://www.calameo.com/read/004563087458be45abe15
- ↑ https://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/decision/1986/86215DC.htm
- ↑ https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/juri/id/JURITEXT000007622403
- ↑ https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/juri/id/JURITEXT000007067605
- ↑ https://auvio.rtbf.be/live/au-bout-de-lenquete-538472 [bare URL]
- ↑ https://www.terrafemina.com/article/faites-entrer-laccuse-gilles-de-valliere-lassassin-aux-cordelettes_a251157/1 [bare URL]