Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Jul 11, 2025

French ex-police officer identified as serial killer and rapist after 35-year hunt

French ex-police officer identified as serial killer and rapist after 35-year hunt

After a 35-year hunt, a former police officer has been identified as being behind a series of murders, rapes and false imprisonment, French officials said Thursday.

The man took his own life earlier this week.

In a statement seen by CNN, Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau said DNA tests had "established a link between the genetic profile found at several crime scenes and that of the dead man."

Officials had been looking for the perpetrator of five crimes committed between 1986 and 1994, including the "rape of 15-year-old minors, murders, attempted homicide, armed robberies, wrongful use of title and kidnapping and false imprisonment of a 15-year-old," the prosecutor said.

According to her statement, the evidence collected suggested the person responsible could have been an officer in the police division of the military at the time of the crimes, and investigators were able to isolate the perpetrator's DNA profile.

The 59-year-old man, who lived in the south of France, was told on September 24 that he would be examined on Wednesday as part of the investigation.

Around 750 men serving as military police officers in the Paris region at the time of the crimes were called in for examination.

The prosecutor said the man was reported missing by his wife on Monday and found dead in the southern commune of Le Grau-du-Roi two days later, the day of his scheduled examination.

Beccuau said he had initially been part of the military's police division before joining the police force, and was retired at the time of his death.

Although the prosecutor did not name the man in her statement, CNN affiliate BFMTV said a source close to the investigation had named him as François Verove.

Citing local media, BFMTV said Verove left a suicide note confessing he was a murderer but did not give the names of his victims. However, he said he had "gotten a grip" on himself and hadn't "done anything since 1997."

Former police chief Christian Flaesch, who investigated the 1986 rape and murder of 11-year-old Cécile Bloch, linked Verove to the crime in an interview with BFMTV Friday and said new technologies had facilitated the breakthrough in the case.

BFMTV also said the man was suspected of murdering 20-year-old Irmgard Mueller and 38-year-old Gilles Politi in 1987.

The suspect was nicknamed "Le Grêlé," or "The Pockmarked Man" in local media, after the Bloch family described a man they saw in their corridor around the time of Cécile's murder, according to BFMTV.

Citing Le Parisien, BFMTV said the man had served in the cavalry of the Republican Guard from 1983 to 1988 before becoming part of the regular police force and serving in the juvenile squad in charge of minors.

Local news outlet Le Midi Libre said Verove had joined the local council in the southern commune of Prades-le-Lez in 2019, citing former mayor Jean-Marc Lussert.

"I feel both satisfaction and also pain for the Bloch family," Bernard Pasqualini, former investigator in charge of the case in 1986, said in an interview with BFMTV on Thursday. "This man will go unpunished."

The news comes the same week as former UK police officer Wayne Couzens was given a whole-life sentence for the kidnapping, rape and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard after using his police identification to carry out a false arrest.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
×