Femicide in Montpellier: what we know about the victim and the murderer

A 72-year-old man killed his 66-year-old ex-wife this Tuesday, February 20, in front of the Montpellier judicial court. Divorced since 2016, they had an appointment with a family affairs judge.

“The final report shows two deaths.” Tuesday, February 20, “gunshots in front of the judicial court” led to the intervention of the police, the Hérault prefecture announced, before establishing the final assessment of this dark affair. The events took place early in the afternoon, around 2 p.m. A 72-year-old man arrived armed in front of the court where he had a meeting with his ex-wife, aged 66. HASArmed with a pistol, the ex-husband shot his ex-wife in the head, killing her. Then he turned the gun on himself and fired again while aiming at his own head.

During a press conference, a few hours after the events, the public prosecutor of Montpellier, Fabrice Belargent, specified that the two protagonists had been divorced since 2016 and had an appointment in court this Tuesday as part of civil proceedings for the liquidation of assets. The events took place outside the court before the security gates passed, the man was waiting for his ex-wife in front of the courthouse.

The public prosecutor gave few details on the tragedy that occurred in Montpellier. But he indicated that the man responsible for the shooting was not known to the police and that there were no known procedures for domestic violence between the two ex-spouses and there was also no protection order. The man did not have any history allowing him to anticipate the act. According to information from France Bleu Héraultthe man practiced sports shooting.

The path of femicide considered

The preferred avenue at the moment is that of feminicide followed by suicide, reports AFP. “We are not dealing with terrorism at all”, but rather a case concerning “a man and a woman who were separated”, a source close to the authorities told AFP.

The Minister of Justice, Éric Dupond-Moretti, said he was “horrified by the feminicide which took place in front of the Montpellier court this afternoon” and sent his thoughts “to the victim and her loved ones”.

After the gunshots were reported, the police intervened quickly as did the Samu and the firefighters, whose responsiveness was praised by the public prosecutor. The people who were inside the court were confined before being evacuated via the parking lots after the shots were fired. A psychological support unit was launched. In a press release, the magistrate confirmed that the final report showed two deaths. The perimeter was sealed off during the intervention of the police. If the event is over according to the prefecture, the area remains secured by the police.