Casefile True Crime: Case 246: Grégory Villemin (Part 1)

Auf der Suche nach dem Perfekten Match.

Eigentlich brauche ich nur ein Shop-System, um meine Produkte online zu verkaufen.

Mit Shopify kannst du einen Online-Shop erstellen und gestalten.

Und hast die volle Kontrolle über dein Geschäft.

Ja, den Perfekten Match gibt es.

Tests der Shopify kostenlos auf Shopify.de slash Radio.

Bereits 10.000 deutsche Unternehmen haben sich dafür entschieden.

Gemacht für Deutschland. Powered by Shopify.

Oder auf unserer Website.

Auf der Suche nach dem Perfekten Match.

Es war ein ordentlicher Stadt, mit ordentlichen Arbeitsklassen.

In den jährlichen 1980s waren die Telefon-Line installiert.

In Juli 1981, Nulli Wedz, Jean-Marie und Christine Ville-Mann

haben sich diese Entwicklung und eine Line installiert,

die sie neu nach Hause gebaut haben.

Es war ein erster Zeit für die Jungs,

die beide in ihren 20er-Jahren ähren.

Christine hat jünglich geboren,

dass sie ihr erster Kind, ein Sohn, Gregrie genannt hat.

Jean-Marie hat eine geschlossene Position

als Frau in einer Carapult-Faktion,

mit einem neuen Level der finanziellen Stabilität

für die jungen Familie.

Sie haben sich eine Platte von Land auf den Ausgärten

von La Panche gebaut und eine noch moderne Schale-Style nach Hause gebaut,

mit Plänsen, die sich als ihre Familie verabschiedet haben.

Die Zukunft sah lecker aus.

Eine Nacht später, nachdem sie ihre neue Telefon installiert haben,

kamen sie.

Christine antwortete,

alles, was sie auf der anderen Line aufhörten,

war schwer geblieben.

Dann war die Line tot.

Es ging wieder.

Und wieder.

Eine silen, anonyme Telefon,

nach der nächsten,

standen sie an randomen Zeitungen für mehrere Tage.

Eine Nacht, Jean-Marie hat sie geblieben.

Dieses Mal konnte er ein Rekord spielen.

Es war der Song We are Thirsty

by Belgian Singer Gran Jojo.

Ein giggling Femal-Voy singt lange aus der Zeit

für die Uppbeat-Song,

die Geschichte von einem Mitglied des FOREINLEGENZ-FESTS

um ein Bier zu finden.

Vielmehr, der Caller hat nichts gesagt.

Ein paar Nacht später, die Telefon riecht wieder.

Ein weiterer Song spielt,

aber noch keine Konversation.

Die Hanging-Signal-Signal-Signal

war für mehrere Monate weiter geblieben.

Vielmehr schwer geblieben und langsinnig.

Dann, in November,

der Caller finally spoke.

Jean-Marie's Parents, Albert und Manique Villemont,

waren verurteilt

durch das selbe mysteriöse Caller für Monate.

Der Koppel lebte in der Nachbarn-Village

von Vormonsay,

11 km nach La Panche.

Sie haben sich dort sechs Kinder gegründet,

während sie auf die lokalen Textil-Faktorie

auf die Hanging-Signal-Signal-Signal geblieben.

Die meisten von ihren Kindern

haben sie geblieben und die Nase geblieben,

selbst für ihren youngest Sohn,

der nur zwölf Jahre alt war.

Die anderen alle noch lebten nearby

und würden sich zusammen auf Sonnenzeiten

auf eine Mehl holen.

Die Spiele für Albert und Manique

verurteilen in langsinniger Content.

Manchmal würde der Caller nichts sagen,

anderen mussten sie also für eine Halbe-Hälfte bewegen.

Oft waren die Spiele mit den Schneeren,

Langege und Träume.

Eine Menge der Zeit war, dass der Caller ein Mann mit einer hohen, schmuffelnden Stimme war,

der natürlich versucht, seinen naturalen Sprache zu verabschieden.

Aber die Calls waren möglicherweise gemacht von einer Frau, oder vielleicht ein Mann,

die in einer hohen Stimme gesprochen hat.

Der Caller hat sich eventuell das Nickname der Crow, nach dem 1943-French-Film von dem

selben Namen, verdient.

In dem Film, ein mysteriöses Reiter, terrorisiert eine kleine Stadt mit anonymen Liedern, die

alle schmuffelnden Fähigkeiten ausgespült haben.

Obwohl die Identität der Willmanns-Krow unruhig ist, war eine Sache sicher.

Das war nicht ein randomes Stranger.

Die Crow hatte das intime Knowledge von der Willmanns-Familie, die nur ein Insider zu sein könnte.

Sie wussten, wo sich jede Familie lebt, wer sie beruhigt haben, wo sie gearbeitet haben und

wie sie ihre Tage spenten.

Sie wussten, wann etwas neu passiert ist in der Familie und der Veränderungsdynamik und

Konflikte in der Familie.

Wer der Crow war, war, dass sie die Willmanns-Familie nahe watchen.

Seine Motivation war nicht klar, aber es waren ein paar Elemente, die sie v.a. fixiert haben.

Albert und Manik's ältesten Kinder, Jackie, waren aus dem Wettbewerb geboren.

Er war nicht Albert's biologische Kinder, aber der Resultat von einem briefen Fling-Manik

hatte ihn nur vor ihrer Verwaltung.

Albert hat Manik aus dem Wettbewerb geblieben, um die Schäme und die Stigma von einer ungewöhnlichen

Mutter zu savehren.

Regardless, Albert hat nie Jackie als sein Sohn verabschiedet und er war meistens verabschiedet

durch seine Eltern.

Es war ein Geheimnis in der Familie, v.a. für Jackie, der nur die Wahrheit von seiner

Rückgründung von 17 Jahren hat gelernt.

Der Crow hat immer wieder auf dem Wettbewerb geholt, um zu sagen, der Baster, und zu insinuieren,

dass es mehr Baster-Children zwischen ihnen gibt.

Der Crow war sympathisch gegen Jackie und oft kam zu seinem Wettbewerb.

Michel Villmann war der zweite älteren Sohn des Klans.

Er war ein Literarist, Paulie sprach und hatte hohe Selbstverstehen.

Der Crow verabschiedete, dass Michel verabschiedet wurde.

Im Kontrast, der Crow hatte einen bestimmten Baster für Jean-Marie.

Seine letzten Promotion zu Formen war ein Spass für ein paar Familien, die verabschiedet

war, dass Jean-Marie über ihre Arbeitsklasse rankte.

Der Crow spightfully referred zu Jean-Marie als Baster.

Sein Unfall für Jean-Marie war borderlineobsessiv.

Der Crow wusste, wie stolz Albert und Manique waren von ihrem Mittelsinn, und er ständig

empfiehlt sie, um alle Ziele mit Jean-Marie und seiner Familie zu knüpfen.

Der Crow sah klar, dass ein Wettbewerb zwischen den Mitgliedern der Villmann-Familien

betrifft und sie gegen einen anderen verabschiedet wurden.

Und es war gearbeitet.

Konflikten begann, zwischen den Besuchern, den Eltern und den Besuchern von den Familien,

als die Begegnungen kamen, als der, der zwischen ihnen war, hinter dem Crow.

Der Besuchern von Villmann-Klan hatte keine Bedeutung von schwarzen Familien und der Crow

war nicht froh, diese Informationen gegen sie zu benutzen.

Albert's Vater hatte ihn, wenn Albert nur zwölf Jahre alt war.

Der Crow ständig empfiehlt Albert, das Gleiche zu machen.

Christine Villmann war allein zu Hause mit Baby Gregory, wenn der Telefon auf November

22, 1981 rang.

Jean-Marie war die Nachtschrift.

Es war das erste Mal, dass Christine die Hose von der Crow-Familie hörte für sie.

Der Besuchern begann, ein Barrage von Insulten zu erleichtern.

Christine hat schnell aufgemacht.

Das verabschiedete der Crow.

Er wurde sofort zurückgekürzt und die Insulten verabschiedeten.

Er hat eine Verabschiedung verabschiedet, damit er klar wusste, wo Christine lebte und

was ihre Bewegungen waren.

Christine fragte den Besuchern, was sie immer gemacht haben, um diese Verabschiedung zu verdienen.

Der Crow antwortete, es sei nicht du, es sei dein alter Mann.

Die Nacht später, Christine hörte eine Rattlinge auf die fronten Tür.

Sie verabschiedete nur, dass eine Rattlinge auf der Tür verabschiedet wurde und eine

Wendepäne verabschiedete.

Christine verabschiedete Gregory und verabschiedete ihre nächste Wendepäne.

Nachdem sie verabschiedete, wurde sie verabschiedet.

Jean-Marie baut ein 22-Kalber-Riefer für ihn selbst und eine Piste für Christine.

Sie verabschiedete alle Wendepäne von ihrem Zuhause mit Schutters.

Christine verabschiedete, um alleine in der Haus zu bleiben.

Als Jean-Marie die Nacht gemacht hat, nahm sie Gregory zu bleiben bei ihrer Mutter.

Währenddessen, waren die Verabschiedungen bei Albert und Manik in der Haus.

Der Crow fragte sie, ich habe die Busse durchgebrochen, seine Frau war verabschiedet.

Die Wendepäne waren nicht der Fall für die Leute, um die Verabschiedung zu verabschieden.

Wie viele andere in der Region, waren sie in der alten Schule und waren etwas stupend.

Sie glaubten, dass Konflikte zwischen denen verabschiedet werden sollten.

Vielmehr begann Albert und Manik, die Zeit, Daten und Content von jedem Telefonkauf in einem Notbuch zu beschreiben.

Afraid, dass sie auch physisch verabschiedet werden. Albert installierte Karstöne durch ihre Property.

Der Crow hat sofort Albert gesagt, dass er die Barstöne übernimmt hat.

Hat ein Familienverband die Barstöne übernimmt oder hat der Crow sie für sich selbst gesehen?

Die Beziehung war konstant.

Am 1. Juli, in 1982, hat Manik und Albert mit ihrem Sohn Gilbert und seiner Frau gestorben.

Auf ihrem Bezug nach Hause kam der Telefonkauf.

Es war der allezu famillierende Stimme der Crow.

Er hat einen schönen Weg, fragte er.

In September 1982, Gilbert war auf Arbeit, wenn eine Frau erhielt, um ihn zu wissen, dass seine Mutter in einem schrecklichen Accident war.

Gilbert stammelte zu seinem Vater's Haus, nur um zu finden, dass Manik komplett unheimlich und unerwartet war.

Es war kein Accident.

Als Gilbert losging, war Albert und Manik's Telefonkauf.

Es war der Crow, schluchte über wie dumm und gut Gilbert war.

Auf dem Tug 30. November 1982, hat der Telefon in Albert und Manik's Haus gestorben.

Der Crow hat ein totales Total von 27 Spielen erhielt.

Dann fließt der Cow Cows Zerstands지가

an die

als der Krow aktiv war.

Das In- und Aus-ein-Zelf war nicht necessarily suspicous.

Einige von dem Krow verabschiedete andere Kursen in der Familie,

die eine langsame Reaktion machte.

Bezüglich der verschiedenen Dynamiken in der Familie,

standen niemand aus als ein klarer Suspekt.

Der Krow insinuierte die Identität der verschiedenen Individuen,

aber das war sicherlich ein intentionaler Weg,

um die Wahrheit zu verabschieden.

Bezüglich der Krow war der Krow sympathisch mit Jackie,

dass Jackie selbst hinter den Kurs war.

Jackie's Wife, Lillian,

hatte eine unglaublich verabschiedete Beziehung mit Wilmans,

sodass es Sinn gemacht hat, dass sie der Femalekompliss gewesen wäre.

Sie war auch bei Albert zu Hause, als er die Gäste installiert hat.

Lillian's Eltern verabschiedeten die Wilmans,

und jemand fragte, ob Lillian ihnen Informationen führte.

Könnte Lillian sein der Mastermind hinter dem Krow,

und ihrem Vater, der die Beziehung verabschiedet hat?

Tensionen zwischen der Familie verabschiedeten sie.

Sonntag-Wettbezüge wurden hostil und ungewöhnlich.

Albert und Jean-Marie waren überzeugt,

dass Jackie der Krow war.

Als er mit dieser Verabschiedung konfrontiert wurde,

hat Jackie sie stark verabschiedet.

Er war so verabschiedet,

dass er seine Familie allzu sehen stoppt.

Die Polizei dachte,

dass der Krow möglich sein könnte,

durch einen Prozess der Elimination zu identifizieren.

Nächstes Mal, als der Krow begann,

war der Rezipient die Person,

die sie anscheinend verabschiedet haben,

standen sie bei dem Telefon?

Könnten sie die Verabschiedung beobachten?

On Monday, December 13, 1982,

hat Albert und Monique die Verabschiedung beobachtet.

Ich gehe nach La Pange zu ihrer Christine.

Nächstes Mal,

hat Jean-Marie auf seine Fahrzeuge verabschiedet.

Als Albert herausgefunden hat,

hat er die Verabschiedung verabschiedet.

Er begann seine Fahrzeuge verabschiedet

und begann seine Verabschiedung zu verabschieden.

Der Krow erhielt sich kurz nach,

lachen bei Albert für seine Aktionen,

die er gesehen hat.

Die Verabschiedung stammelte in 1983,

mit Albert und Monique

mit 17 Verabschiedungen verabschiedet.

Der female Krow begann,

mehr und mehr verabschiedet zu werden.

Sie konnte oft in der Rückkehr von den Verabschiedungen hören,

und manchmal machte sie die Verabschiedung selbst.

Auf einer Art,

hat sie ein Funeral-Homes gebetet

und erklärt, dass Albert Wilmahn sterben war.

Die Stärken kamen in der Wilmahn-Homes

bereit, die Korps zu verabschieden.

By this point,

all four of the adult Wilmahn's sons,

Jackie, Michelle, Jean-Marie

und Michael Baer

haben die Korps aus dem Krow gebetet.

Sie hatten ihre Wünsche.

Andere haben diese Korps in einem Ort gesehen.

Michelle war der einzige,

der allein war,

als er von dem Krow kontaktiert war.

Er sagte, dass der Krow verabschiedet wurde.

Ich weiß, was Zeit ist,

wenn deine Wife zu Hause kommt

und wenn deine Kinder alleine sind.

Und ich wäre gerade trans tema.

Ahneneine haben sich mit Er elimination

uns gebraucht.

Allein-Marie wieder.

1994 160 literature,

die

Helmed des treadmens der

Marcelina

Christine offen 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 assholes.

You'll 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 Wilman had hanged himself.

By Friday, March 4, 1983, the Crow had been harassing the Willmann 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 Willmann 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 Willmann. The softer, distorted voice is the Crow.

A few weeks later, a woman called a Jean-Marie'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 Manique 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 had 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 to 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. 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 read,

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.

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 Monique'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 Vilman worked as a seamstress at a local clothing factory. Tuesday, October 16, 1984 was a typical workday for the 24-year-old.

She knocked off at around 4.53pm and 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 racetrack 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 the radio up and got stuck into the ironing.

By the time Christine finished, it was about 5.30pm. 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 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 sowing 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 5.32pm, the phone rang at the house of Jean-Marie's brother, Michel.

He lived next door to their parents in Ormondsee and was watching TV at the time.

Michel 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 valone. 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.

This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. In life it can be so easy to fall into the routine of putting others' needs before your own.

We give and give while our own needs take a back seat.

But when we spend all our time looking after our loved ones, it can leave us feeling stretched thin and burned out.

Therapy can give you the tools to find more balance in your life, so you can keep supporting others without leaving yourself behind.

At case file we know how important it is to look after our mental health.

Therapie Sessions feel like you're investing in your own well-being, which is so important in helping us stay positive and motivated.

If you're thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try.

It's entirely online and designed to be convenient, flexible and suited to your schedule.

To get started, all you have to do is fill out a brief questionnaire and you'll be matched with a licensed therapist.

And you can switch therapists anytime for no additional charge.

Visit BetterHelp.com slash case file today to get 10% off your first month.

That's BetterHelp. H-E-L-P dot com slash case file.

Zum Frühstück oder gegen den kleinen Hunger? Pink Lady vor dem Schlafengehen oder Pink Lady nach der Arbeit? Pink Lady zu Nachtisch oder Pink Lady a Snack?

Warum sich überhaupt entscheiden? Der Pink Lady-Apfel, einfach immer ein Genuss.

Winden Sie Pink Lady in den Zieldörfern der Deutschlandtour vom 23. bis 27. August.

Manique und Albert Villemann war nahe und informiert von der Frau. Manique war verletzt.

Die Frau hat viele Probleme gemacht über die Jahre, aber das war ungewöhnlich.

Manique hat sofort ihre Daughter-in-law Christine zu erwarten. Es gab keine Antwort.

Christine war noch außerhalb und besuchte für Gregory.

Manique nahm ihre Sonne Jean-Marie an Arbeit, die die Lokale Polizei führte.

Jean-Marie führte nach Hause und begabte seine Sonne.

For a long time, he'd been convinced that Lillian's parents Roger and Paulette Jacques were behind the crow.

It made sense, given the crow's peculiar concern for Jackie.

Jean-Marie rushed over to the Jacques'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 Pange 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.

6 km downstream from La Pange was the small village of Doselle.

Firefighters there searched the Valone River.

At 9.15pm, they came to a small bend.

Just 10 meters past the small footbridge, they noticed something bobbing in the water against a weir.

They got closer.

It was Gregory Vilman.

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 rope.

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.

Gregory hadn't been strangled, like the crow said.

In fact, the forensic pathologist who conducted his autopsy couldn't find any signs that he had been strangled.

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 weather, he was unable to breathe.

There were a multitude of locations between La Pange and Doselle where the killer could have dumped Gregory's body into the river.

The day after Gregory was killed, he was found dead.

He was killed in the water.

He was found dead in the water.

He was found dead in the water.

He was found dead in the water.

In the water, the forensic pathologist concluded that the young boy would have stopped breathing within moments of being submerged.

Tiretracks and the imprints of a woman's shoe had been found in the riverbank at a clearing in the village of Desimon.

This was 2.3 km from the Vilmans home and several kilometers upstream from Doselle.

Police obtained a mannequin with similar proportions to the 4-year-old.

They visited the location in Desimon and threw it into the water.

By the time the mannequin reached Doselle, 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 travelled that far downstream.

The mannequin was thrown from various other locations, including behind a fire station right near the center of Doselle.

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 Vilmans 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.

Komplicating to Vilmans 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 brothers-in-laws Roger and Paulette Jacques-El,

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 p.m. on Tuesday, October 16, the day Gregory was killed.

It had been sent from the LaPange Post Office, which was 1.3 km north of the Vilmans home.

Postal workers said the last mail collection occurred around 5.20 p.m.

But the mailbox could have been emptied anytime between 1.55 and 5.20 p.m. that day.

Given that Gregory was abducted sometime between 5.05 and 5.30 p.m.,

this presented a few possibilities.

1. The killer had sent the letter before speeding to the Vilmans house to snatch Gregory.

2. The killer already had Gregory with them when they posted the letter.

Or 3. 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 sharp case.

All police had to do was identify the crow and they'd have the killer.

They knew the caller came from within the Vilman family, which narrowed down the suspect list significantly.

But it wasn't as simple as it seemed.

Gregory's grandmother, Monique Vilman, 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-raspie 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.

Police began questioning relatives of the Vilman family and 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 Pange, 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 daylight.

One local man had been walking his dog near the Vilman's property, but he hadn't seen any cars drive by or noticed anything of interest.

Nor had any of the Vilman'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 5.05pm, but he never heard it drive back down again.

He never saw it, so couldn't vouch for the colour 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 coloured van parked near the woods overlooking the Vilman'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 their necks, possibly binoculars or a camera.

This witness saw the same car driving towards Doselle, the village where Gregory's body was found, at 4.45pm.

No other cars were seen driving between La Pange and Doselle during this key time frame.

Hundreds of houses and several busy factories overlooked the Valone 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 Doselle at around 5.30pm.

She recalled 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 deemed this unlikely.

Although the exact time of death couldn't be confirmed, they believed Gregory had likely died sometime around 6pm.

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 the La Pange 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 journalists from all over France flocked to La Pange.

The sleepy village instantly became a hive of activity.

Journalists vied for the Willmann's attention, interviewing family members all over town in the hopes of unveiling some salacious details.

If the Willmanns 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 Ormonde were traditional villages.

Residents were mostly private, and shared the Willmanns' 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 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 Willmanns as a lower class and socially marginalised bunch of hillbillies plagued by dark secrets.

In reality, regardless of their sullied background, they were a relatively normal working-class family typical of the area.

On Saturday, October 20, Gregory Willmann's Funeral was held at the Le Panche 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 behaviour.

It was a somber affair, with emotions running high.

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 as photographers eagerly captured the drama.

On Monday, October 22, 6 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 Willmann family and harbored some suspicions of her own.

Marie-Angela urged the police to look into Jean-Marie's half-brother, Jackie.

She believed that Jackie and his wife Lillian were behind the crow.

Police questioned Jackie, but he had an airtight Alibi for the day of Gregory's murder.

Unbeknown to the rest of his family, Jackie's wife Lillian had actually received a call from the crow seven months earlier in March of 1984.

The crow had spoken of his resentment for Jean-Marie, and he's planned to cast suspicion against Lillian and her father.

Once again, he ranted about Jackie's illegitimate status and the alleged infidelities of his mother Monique.

Lillian had refused to speak to her father.

Once again, he ranted about Jackie's illegitimate status and the alleged infidelities of his mother Monique.

Lillian had recorded the call and provided it as proof of her and her husband's innocence.

Police believed it to be genuine.

Jackie and Lillian Willmann were not the crow.

Police found the accusation leveled against the couple by Marie-Ange La 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 Marie-Ange called the police from a public telephone instead of her own home.

Perhaps she didn't want someone in her house to hear.

Marie-Ange 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 Lillian, Marie-Ange implicated some distant relatives of the Willmanns, married a couple Chantel and Daniel Ollard.

Police visited Chantel and Daniel to see if Marie-Ange's allegations held any weight.

They conducted a search of the couple's home, but found nothing to link them to the crime.

She told the police that she'd called from a public telephone.

They conducted a search of the couple's home, but found nothing to link them to the crime.

Chantel and Daniel were taken into custody for questioning, but quickly ruled out of the investigation.

When asked where she was on the afternoon Gregory Willmann was killed, Marie-Ange La 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 the masking questions.

Was it possible that Marie-Ange was casting blame on other members of the family to detract attention from her own?

Police soon visited Marie-Ange La Roche's home in Ormondsee to question her husband, 29-year-old Bernard La Roche.

Bernard was a cousin of Jean-Marie Willmann.

The two had grown up together, but they drifted apart over the years.

Yet they lived somewhat parallel lives.

Both worked as factory foremen in different organisations,

und both had four-year-old sons born just ten days apart.

Although they didn't talk much anymore, Bernard maintained a close friendship with Jean-Marie's brother, Michel.

The two considered each other best friends and saw each other regularly.

Bernard told police that on the day Gregory was abducted, he'd spent most of the day with his aunt, Louis-Ange.

She lived just 200 metres from the La Roche's home.

In the afternoon, Bernard chopped wood.

He and his four-year-old son, Sebastian, then visited Michel Willmann at his home around the corner.

At 4.30pm, they returned to Aunt Louis-Ange.

Bernard, Louis-Ange, Louis-Ange, Louis-Ange, Louis-Ange.

Louis-Ange.

Bernard hat 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.

Bernard returned to his aunt's house at around 5.30pm.

He hung around for about 15 minutes before driving to the supermarket to buy the wine.

At this point it was roughly 6pm.

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 8.45pm.

Bernard claimed he didn't hear about Gregory Vilman's murder until the following morning.

When asked to provide a handwriting sample, Bernard was reluctant.

It was only after insistence from Marie-Ange 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

5.30pm.

The same time that Gregory was abducted.

Case file will be back shortly.

Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors.

Eigentlich brauche ich nur ein Shop-System, um meine Produkte online zu verkaufen.

Mit Shopify kannst du einen Online-Shop erstellen und gestalten und hast die volle Kontrolle

über dein Geschäft.

Ja, den perfekten Match gibt es.

Teste Shopify kostenlos auf shopify.de.

Bereits 10.000 deutsche Unternehmen haben sich dafür entschieden.

Gemacht für Deutschland, powered by Shopify.

Thank you for listening to this episode's ads.

By supporting our sponsors, you support Case File to continue to deliver quality content.

Michel Cornelis wohnt im Café in Doselle, nicht weit von wo Gregorys Körper war.

Am Nachmittag, dass der Mann verletzt wurde, hat Mr. Cornelis verletzt, ein seltener Mann

in seinem Ausdruck zu sitzen.

Er war zwischen 4.35 und 4.40pm und wieder zwischen 5 und 5.15pm.

Er sah nervös und war glänzt bei ihm und der Café.

Der Mann sah zu verletzt in seinen 20er oder 30er Jahren.

Er hatte einen dicken Mop von brown Haar und einen dicken brown Moustache, der in den

Kornen seiner Maut kam.

Ein weiterer Witz hat einen ähnlichem Mann, der sich um Gregorys Schule, den Tag von und

vor der Krime verletzt hat.

Nur dieser hatte einen dicken Moustache, der unter den Händen verletzt hat und war ein

grünes Auto verletzt.

Am 5.00 Uhr, am 16. Oktober, hat dieser Witz den gleichen Mann neben dem Lopange-Garbage-Dump

nur eine kurze Distanz von Gregorys Zuhause verletzt hat.

Beide Mr. Cornelis und der Schule-Witz hat den Polizisten einen komposierten Schatz

von diesem Mann verletzt hat.

Es war kein Verletzter, der jungen Kanzler Resemblanz zu Bernard LaRouche verletzt hat.

Er hat auch ein metallisch-grünes-grünes Peugeot 305 verletzt.

Ein Auto von ähnlichem Mann hat in den Tagen, in denen Gregorys Abduktion verletzt hat,

ein

Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz,

ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz,

ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz,

ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz,

ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz,

ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz,

ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz,

ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-Witz, ein Kanzler-

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 Willmann 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 Willmann, but to his maternal uncle, Albert Jacob.

Bernard strongly denied having anything to do with Gregory Willmann's death.

An officer asked if he'd ever sent threatening letters to the Willmann 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 Bernard La Roche, 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 Willmann'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 La Roche family had a phone line installed in 1981, coinciding with the calls to Jean-Marie and Christine Willmann.

Their house also had a staircase.

During several of the crow's phone calls, several recipients thought they could hear someone climbing steps in the background.

Criminal profilers believed 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 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 Willmann 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 20s.

In contrast, Jean-Marie's foreman 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 Marie-Ange 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 Willmann on the other hand had been the very picture of good health.

Christine Willmann 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 Willmann'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 Willmann'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 Michel Willmann was also significant.

Michel 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 Michel, and his fits of envy had previously caused many conflicts within the family.

Shortly before Gregory's death, Michel Willmann 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 Michel told Bernard about this visit.

If Bernard La Roche 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 und his wife had decided to leave the house.

In the end, they had decided to leave the house.

lamation

Bernard Barber

Bernard La Roche

da Jean-Marie

die

seine Freundin während der kruzischen Zeitperiode auf dem Montag, Oktober 16.

Er sagte, dass, wenn er zu seiner Mutter Louisette's Haus kam,

um 5.30 Uhr, seine Sister-In-Law Muriel Boll war da,

auf der TV zu schauen.

Die Polizei fragte Muriel.

Der 15-jährige Hochschulstudent hat vorhin mit den La Rochas

gestorben, um ihre Sohn zu helfen.

Sie hat festgestellt, dass auf der Sonne von Oktober 16

die Busse aus der Schule kam.

Muriel ging zu ihrer Mutter Louisette's Haus um 5.20 Uhr.

Bernhard La Roche war schon da.

Er war in der Küche, mit seinem Sohn in seinem Lapp,

auf der TV zu schauen.

Nachdem Gregory Villmann irgendwann nach 5.03 Uhr abdruckt wurde,

hat Bernhard genug Zeit, um die Begründung zu holen.

Mit den Zalibi veröffentlicht, hat die Polizei keine Wahl,

aber um ihn zu gehen.

Aber die Investigierenden, die die Stattung übernommen,

haben die Diskrepanzen gemerkt.

Bernhard sagte, dass, wenn er zu Louisette's Haus kam,

Muriel da war, auf der TV zu schauen.

Aber Muriel gab die Reverse.

Sie sagte, dass Bernhard schon da war,

wenn sie nach der Schule kam.

Das war nicht richtig.

Muriel hat die Polizei gesagt,

dass ihre normalen Busseinwerke nach Hause kamen,

auf der Nachmittagstattung.

Polizistinnen und Polizisten um Muriel zur Schule kamen,

und die normalen Busseinwerke hatten nicht gearbeitet.

Viele Muriel-Klassejahre haben gemerkt,

dass sie nicht auf der Busse war.

Muriel hatte eine distincte Haare von kurlen Rädern

und eine Fähigkeit von Fräkern,

sodass sie die Fähigkeit gemerkt hat.

Ein Freund hat eine Räderin,

die Muriel in einer Karki-Grund-Verkull-School verlassen,

die die Description von Bernhard La Rocha's Peugeot matchte.

Die Polizei konfrontierte Muriel mit dieser Diskrepanzen.

Es war nicht lange für sie zu kreieren.

Sie hat gemerkt, dass sie die Busseinwerke übernommen hat.

According to Muriel,

when she finished school on October 16,

Bernhard was waiting at the front in his car.

His son Sebastian was with him.

Bernhard called Muriel over.

It was the first time he had ever picked Muriel up from school.

She assumed it was because he needed someone to babysit Sebastian.

She hopped in.

Bernhard drove them to La Panche.

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 Bernhard parked on the side of the road.

Muriel could see a white house with a red roof.

Bernhard got out, but didn't explain why.

He walked towards the house.

Muriel stayed in the car with Sebastian.

When Bernhard 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.

Bernhard made one more quick stop in La Panche,

then drove the group to another village

that Muriel wasn't familiar with.

Bernhard got out, taking the boy with him.

She wasn't sure how long Bernhard was gone for,

but when he returned, he was alone.

They then drove back to Aunt Louisette's house,

arriving around 5.30 p.m.

Bernhard left to buy wine before returning home

und dann 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 Bernhard was responsible.

At the request of police, Muriel drew a sketch of their routes

and the places they stopped in La Panche and Doselle.

The locations coincided with both the Villmann residence

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 Lambert met with Muriel.

She repeated her confession, saying she hadn't come forward earlier

because she was afraid of Bernard.

Bernard La Roche was immediately arrested

and charged with the murder of Gregory Vilman.

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 Vilman told the press that if Bernard was guilty,

there was a Jekyll and Hyde situation.

Even Gregory's parents found it hard to believe

with 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

Judge Lambert revealed that Muriel Boll 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

nor 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 Marie-Anne La Roche.

The family had an announcement to make.

As the press gathered outside,

Muriel approached 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 Pange or Doselle.

I never went to that place where that kid was drowned.

Muriel admitted she'd made the whole story up.

She said the police told her that Bernard La Roche

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 routes they supposedly took,

Muriel said a police officer had shown her these locations.

She was simply repeating his instructions.

Muriel 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 La Roche

to secure a conviction for Gregory Willmann'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 neighbour of the La Roche family told the press

that on the night Bernard was arrested,

he overheard Muriel being beaten by her family.

Bernard's wife Marie Arnche 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 Arnche 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 Willmann was killed.

All of the individuals Bernard La Roche

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 Chog 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.

For 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

und 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 ties with his parents completely.

A groundskeeper was clearing out some burtries

on the riverbank behind the fire station in Doselle.

It was right next to the location Muriel Boll

claimed Bernard La Roche 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 hypoglycemic 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 Abbar

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 Boll's mother, Jeanine.

Sylvain tracked down Jeanine's nurse.

She confirmed that Jeanine

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.

Beside,

some new witnesses had come forward

with some much more compelling information.

At the textile factory where Christine Vileman worked,

it was customary for employees to be let out

just before 5 p.m. so that those who needed to

could make the 5 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 LaPanche Post Office

to visit her sister, who lived nearby.

She saw one of her colleagues parked outside of the Post Office.

It was Christine Vileman.

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 claimed, but in the opposite direction.

Two other co-workers came forward to report

that they too had seen Christine Vileman

at the LaPanche 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,

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 Vileman,

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 Vileman 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 postmortem 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 Valone 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 p.m.

Neighbors had then seen Christine desperately looking for her son

just after 5.30 p.m.

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'd then have to get his body to the car without her neighbors seeing

before making the 12 km round trip from La Pange to Doselle.

Somewhere in all this,

she had to write and post a letter claiming the crime

and find time to call Michelle Villemann

and take responsibility for the murder.

Or without being seen.

Nobody had seen Christine or her Black Renault

on the road leading from La Pange to Doselle.

Although one of Christine's neighbors recalled

they were walking towards the Villemann's home

at around 5 p.m. on October 16.

Christine drove past giving them a small wave.

By the time the neighbor reached the Villemann's house

Christine's Renault wasn't in the carport.

The Valone 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.

With the media and public still fixated

on Gregory Villemann'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.

Newspapers 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 believe that.

Why would I have done that?

I no longer have a child.

I don't have anything.

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 La Roche?

Could she have been working in Kahoot with Bernard

or another of Jean-Marie'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 und Jean-Marie

denied all the rumours 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 Bernhard

La Roche 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 Bernhard La Roche'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 letter

had been effectively destroyed.

Speculation of a conspiracy theory started to take hold.

There were allegations that the cases magistrate

Judge Jean-Michel Lambert

had been working closely with Bernhard'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 Bernhard?

But as Bernhard's lawyers pointed out,

there were other questions too.

Gregory's parents had described him as being

wary of strangers.

At therefore didn't make sense that he would have happily

followed Bernhard 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 Bernhard

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 Boll

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, Bernhard had no prior criminal record,

hadn't made any semblance of a confession,

und, most importantly,

no legitimate reason to kill Gregory Villemont.

By February 1985,

three and a half months had passed since Gregory's murder.

With the case against Bernhard La Roche

becoming increasingly unstable,

Judge Lambert made a controversial decision.

Bernhard La Roche would be released from Vermont

on judicial supervision.

Bernhard immediately returned to his house and work

with the journalists following him every step of the way.

Meanwhile, headlines continued to circulate

about Christine Villemont's possible involvement in her son's death.

The pressure against the Villemonts was mounting.

In late March, Christine was interrogated for nine hours.

Her story never changed.

A newly appointed panel of handwriting experts

was tasked with examining the letters from the crow.

While the first team believed that the writing was a match for Bernhard La Roche,

the new panel concluded that Bernhard'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 Villemont.

This 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%.

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 behaviour or the truth.

The results did nothing to change Jean-Marie Villemont's mind,

he told reporters.

Between the experts and Bernhard'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 law enforcement were trying to turn him against his wife.

The health of their unborn child was now in danger.

Für Jean-Marie, Bernhard La Roche's guilt was obvious.

He was convinced the police were involved in some kind of cover-up.

Why was a guilty man walking free,

why his wife was being tortured with such cruel and unfounded accusations?

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.

To be continued next week.

Copyright WDR 2021

Machine-generated transcript that may contain inaccuracies.