Almost twenty years after the arrest of Monique Olivier, who is accused of complicity in the kidnappings, abductions and murders committed by her ex-husband, Michel Fournier, the justice announced the verdict on Tuesday, December 19.
After a three-week trial, the 75-year-old woman was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, with a 20-year security period.
A few months earlier, in March, the Netflix platform dedicated a five-episode documentary series, The Fourniret Affair: Monique Olivier’s chapter.
“In my 41-year career, I’ve had a few high-profile cases, but Fourniret’s case goes beyond all that.“This sentence, delivered by former prosecutor Francis Nachbar, gives a brief insight into the horror behind one of France’s most famous criminal investigations.
For 16 years, a man nicknamed the “Ogre of the Ardennes” kidnapped, raped and killed women and young girls. While the killer, arrested in 2003, has confessed to 11 crimes, he remains one of the main suspects in 21 other cases. In 2008, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
The Fourniret Affair: In the Head of Monique Olivier, a work produced by documentary filmmakers Michel Fiennes and Christophe Astruc, not only depicts the drama and the trial that followed, but is particularly interested in the role of the criminal’s wife.
Presented as docile, mute and under the influence of the butcher, Monique Olivier is quickly seen as weak. “We have the impression that we are dealing with official noodles“, says the former head of the police in front of the camera.
However, this is not the case. The documentary series reveals that multiple tests have shown her to have a significantly above-average IQ. After that, the wife becomes an accomplice. “He was a manoeuvrer, he was a thinking leader“, explains one of the experts interviewed in the documentary.
This true crime offers elaborate staging and reconstruction like Gregory. Along with lawyers and psychologists, several relatives of the victims are speaking. The documentary is difficult to watch and listen to at times, especially when Monique Olivier admits and explains in detail the atrocities committed by her companion.
The verdict handed down by the courts this Tuesday, December 19, closes one of the most important criminal cases in the history of French justice. The Fourniret Affair: in the head of Monique Olivier is available on Netflix.
Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
