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A MURDER CASE that has fascinated France for a century appears set to remain shrouded in mystery after bone fragments found at the main suspect’s house proved not to be human – but from an animal.
Descendants and defenders of Guillaume Seznec, who was sentenced to a life of hard labour in 1924 on charges of murdering a Brittany official and business partner, had hoped the bone fragments would lead prosecutors to reopen the case.
But a source close to the inquiry told AFP that investigators had determined two bone fragments found during a private excavation at the house last weekend are “those of an animal”.
Prosecutor Jean-Philippe Recappe in Brest, near the western town of Morlaix where the bones were found, said he was still waiting for the official results of an anthropologist’s analysis.
Background
Denis Langlois, a former lawyer for Seznec’s family, and author Bertrand Vilain carried out their unofficial dig in the cellar of the unoccupied house on the theory that the victim, Pierre Quemeneur, may have been accidently killed by Seznec’s wife as she resisted his advances.
In May 1923 Seznec, a lumber merchant, travelled to Paris from the western town of Rennes with Quemeneur to buy a stock of cars left by US forces after World War I.
Seznec came back alone a few days later, saying Quemeneur had preferred to return by train, but he was never seen again.
Even though neither a body or murder weapon were ever found, and despite Seznec’s claims of innocence, a jury sentenced him to life in prison in French Guiana.
During his eight-day trial, nearly 120 witnesses were heard. The death penalty had been demanded but since premeditation could not be proved, he was instead condemned to hard labour in perpetuity.
Released on good behaviour in 1946, he fought all his life to have his conviction overturned, a campaign that continued after his death with the support of family members as well as lawmakers, judges and journalists.
But prosecutors have denied 14 requests to reopen the case since 1924, most recently in 2006.
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Would it be possible for signs to be erected on Irish roads telling idiot drivers to stop at the red lights
stop? why?
A road sign to tell people to look up from there phones. I can see no problem here at all.
I hope we don’t follow ..
If you can’t pay attention, let natural selection take place..
Put the signs on the footpaths.
instead of on the ground saying LOOK LEFT or LOOK RIGHT isy should just say LOOK UP(from your phone)
She doesn’t look Korean to me
South Korea lets in foreigners.
Forget your signs.. Just do what Dublin has done. Flood the streets with jun*ies & pick pockets who only love to sneak up and whip your phone from your hand! Makes me look up more often!
Nobody gets run over in the DPRK.
The sign company must be giving out more brown envelopes. We have way too many signs and councils keep adding to that number. Procurement officers are never fired for corrupts payments yet evidence is all over the country. Cycle lane signs and Bus lane signs on the Merrion Road are over the top. There are 482 road signs between Merrion gates and Blackrock. Booterstown to Blackrock is littered with signs and road markings. Somebody is getting a kickback.
Yet drivers are forever crashing into the Merrion gates. Maybe it’s an underpass they need.
Sure all they need is a visual Street quiz, “What Seoul Street is this?”. The recent Dublin one made me realise how often we don’t look up. The Journal could offer their services!
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