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Marcel Barbeault was an nice father of
two and a good husband. He was an ex-boxer and a veteran from Algeria
War (1954-1962). He was also a petty thief. From 1969 until 1976, this
tall and strong man killed 8 young women in Nogent-sur-Oise, north
France.
All were brown haired. He never admitted
killing any of the girls. He was nicknamed the "Shadow Killer"
because all the murders happened at night, in paddle or twilight.
January 10 1969, a woman was wounded by a gunshot, at home, but survived.
January 14 1969, a young woman was shot in her stomach, in the morning.
She survived.
January 23 1969 a woman was knock down, then killed with a
5,5 caliber shot in her neck.
November 16 1969, a woman and her teenage
daughter were attacked by a man wearing a mask. He trailed them outside,
attached the mother and shot her. The girl succeeded in escaping. She
just saw the man's eyes : "eyes like. those of a cat". And
then. nothing.
Nothing until February 6 1973, when a woman was knock-down,
shot dead and surely fondled. During night, May 28 to 29 1973, a young
couple of lovers was shot dead with several bullets.
January 8 1974, a
young woman was knock-down and shot dead with a 5,5 caliber in her home.
The killer took off all her underwear.
November 25 1975, on the street,
a young woman was knocked down, shot dead with a 22 long rifle, and then
strip off.
January 6 1976, a young woman was knocked down, stabbed in
the chest and then shot dead with a 22 long rifle. And the killer took
her underwear again.
December 1976, Marcel Barbeault was
finally arrested, he was denounced by an anonymous phone call. In his
cellar, the police found the 22 long rifle which killed the last two
victims, several bullets from the 5,5 rifle, a bludgeon and a dagger.
Barbault said he had found all the items in a cemetery, and that he was
innocent, but since he was arrested, there's been no other murders. He's
been charged with 5 of the murders (the evidences were not conclusive in
the 3 other murders), and was condemned to life in prison.
Geocities.ws.karamppp
Marcel Barbeault
Nickname:
The Shadow Killer
Reign of terror:
10/01/69 - 07/01/76
Motive: Unknown
Crimes: Barbeault was found guilty of two counts of murder, three counts of
unlawful killing, sixteen burglaries and a number of other minor
offences. However, the following attacks are those attributed to the
Shadow Killer:
Date of crime
Victim
Age
Place
Crime
10 / 01 / 69
Francoise Lecron
-
Her home, Nogent-sur-Oise
Shot in shoulder
14 / 01 / 69
Michele Louvet
17
Nogent-sur-Oise
Shot in stomach
24 / 01 / 69
Therese Adam
49
Nogent-sur-Oise
Murder
16 / 11 / 69
Mme Suzanne Merienne
44
Nogent-sur Oise
Murder
06 / 02 / 73
Annick Delisle
29
Nogent-Sur-Oise
Murder
29 / 05 / 73
Eugene Stephan
25
Nogent-sur-Oise
Murder
29 / 05 / 73
Mauricette Van Hyfte
23
Nogent-sur-Oise
Murder
08 / 01 / 74
Josette Routier
29
Her flat in Nogent-sur-Oise
Murder
26 / 11 / 75
Julia Goncalves
29
Hebert Park, Nogent-sur-Oise
Murder
07 / 01 / 76
Francoise Jakubowska
20
Villers-Saint-Paul
Murder
Method:
All the victims were shot with a .22 rifle. Several of them were also
hit on the head. Josette Routier and Francoise Jakubowska had also been
cut on their breasts and stomach.
Sentence:
Barbeault received a sentence of life imprisonment for his crimes
following his trial in May 1981. In March 1982, his conviction was
quashed and a retrial took place on November that year. The verdict was
once again guilty. His sentence was reduced to twenty year's
imprisonment.
Interesting facts:
The Shadow Killer was so named because he shot his first
victims from whilst hiding in the shadows of nearby trees. The
murder of Suzanne Merienne was different in that the killer came
into her house and ordered her and her 19-year-old daughter to leave
and walk to wasteland next to the railway. The 19-year-old managed
to escape.
During the investigation into the murder of Eugene
Stephan and his girlfriend, investigator's found a gun casing by a
standpipe in a nearby cemetry. At the time, this was not considered
overly helpful, but in fact it became the reason why Barbeault was
caught.The investigating officer considered that it had been dropped as
the killer went to wash himself. Given that it was the middle of the
night, the investigating officer concluded that the killer knew his way
about the cemetry as he was a frequent visitor. He collated the names of
all those who had cause to visit the cementry (around 2,500) and
whittled that down to Barbeault.
On 14th December 1976, the police searched
Barbeault's home. In his communal cellar, they found a .22 rifle, a
paratrooper's knife, a cosh and some brown oilskins, significant because
that was what the killer wore in the murder of Mme Merienne. The rifle
was forensically proved to be the same one as had fired the shots from
the last two murders.
Barbeault was also a burglar. In 1970, during a
burglary already attributed to Barbeault, a .22 Reina rifle was taken.
This was forensically proven as being the gun that shot Eugene Stephan,
Mauricette Van Hyfte annd Josette Routier. There was another weapon
involved in the murders, but it has never been recovered.
Barbeault seems to have started his criminal career
after his mother passed away, having suffered breast cancer. Two weeks
after her death, the attacks began to occur, and it is speculated that
the death of his mother was the catalyst.
Web.ukonline.co.uk
SEX:
M RACE: W TYPE: T MOTIVE: PC-non-specific
MO:
Random shooter of victims age 20-49, mostly female.
DISPOSITION:
Life term, 1982; reduced to 20 years on appeal.
