The man suspected of killing his former partner on Thursday in Besançon (Doubs) is already known to the police and the courts.
Thursday morning, in the parking lot of his building, located on the outskirts of the city, a 32-year-old woman was shot and killed in an ambush. The suspect, her ex-husband, then fled to his home in Ornans, about twenty kilometers from Besançon. After negotiating with Raid police officers dispatched to the scene, he was eventually arrested without incident in the middle of the day and taken into police custody.
The suspect was recently hospitalized in a psychiatric ward. He has been sentenced five times between 2019 and 2024 for acts of violence, vandalism, traffic violations, but also moral harassment against his former colleagues, said Besançon public prosecutor Cédric Logelin.
Two complaints were filed by the victim
The 32-year-old woman, who was shot dead this morning, filed a complaint against him last February for “intrusion of privacy.” “During her trial, she indicated that despite the conflictual relationship, she was never a victim of violence,” Cédric Logelin said in comments reported by France 3. The suspect will be summoned at the end of November, following the complaint.
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The victim also filed another complaint against the suspect eight months later, this time in October for damage to his vehicle. The claimant has not been informed of this procedure.
On October 24, the thirty-year-old woman was given a “sheriff” device that allows women to sound an alert in case of danger simply by pressing a button. However, authorities were not “aware of any threats or violence or contact between the victim and the defendant,” prosecutors said. According to the judge, he was supported by the France Victimes association and benefited from consultations with a psychologist.
The suspect was interned after withdrawing
According to France 3, the man had taken refuge in his home in Ornans on October 7, forcing GIGN to intervene. The suspect threatened to commit suicide with a firearm after refusing medical treatment. He was then interned in a mental hospital and released without legal proceedings, according to information from public television channels.
In France every day, more than three women become victims of femicide or attempted femicide in marriage, a figure that has risen in one year, according to data from the inter-ministerial mission for the protection of women (Miprof) published Thursday and covering the year 2024.
In detail, last year there were 107 women who were victims of attempted femicide during marriage and 270 women who were victims of attempted femicide during marriage. Additionally, 906 women were victims of abuse by their partners or former partners that led to suicide or attempts, according to the report.
