475:
1212:
33:
650:, addressed to his wife, in which he admitted to being "a great criminal who committed unforgivable acts until the end of the 1990s" and claimed to have acted under the influence of "impulses"; he also claimed to have suppressed these impulses when he started his family. Vérove's note also claimed that he had "done nothing since 1997", implying he committed other crimes that the authorities were not yet aware of. Two days after Vérove's death, the
443:
454:. Vérove forcibly took her to a room in the basement of the building, raped her and proceeded to stab and strangle her. Bloch's body was discovered later that day wrapped in a carpet. Witnesses who observed Vérove at the apartment building, who included Bloch's parents and half-brother, recalled his face being covered in
520:
On 27 October 1987, a 14-year-old girl returning home from school was stopped by Vérove, who identified himself as a police officer and claimed he needed to question her for an investigation. Vérove soon dragged his victim into an apartment before handcuffing and raping her. He left the victim alive
597:
were also recovered from cigarette butts found at the Politi-Müller murder scene. Investigators collected DNA evidence from a non-fatal attack in the 14th arrondissement, but that attack wouldn't be conclusively linked to Vérove's other crimes until nine years later. Further forensic evidence was
307:
two weeks before the family moved from
Gravelines when he was 10-years-old. Vérove later confided to a psychiatrist that he had been raped by his father at the same. Vérove was described by some as a melancholic teenager who had suicidal thoughts, proposing to one of his friends to commit kill
622:
of 750 gendarmes who had been active in the Île-de-France region at the time of the original crime spree, in which each man was asked to submit a DNA sample. On 24 September 2021, Vérove received his summons via telephone and quickly fled his home in La Grande-Motte; his wife reported him
578:; and possessed an extensive knowledge of investigative procedure which he used to escape detection. In the Politi-Müller case, the suspect had given a false address for "Élie Lauringe" which was traced back to a former office in the 13th arrondissement. The final confirmed
677:
In March 2022, two books about Vérove were published which considered the possibility that Vérove could have killed more victims. According to the authors, investigators on the "Grêlé" affair are working on 31 victims attributable to Vérove, including nine murders.
545:, on 29 June 1994. An 11-year-old girl, identified in reports as "Ingrid G.", was cycling along a high-speed railway line when she was approached by Vérove, who demanded that she enter his car on the pretence of being taken to the police station. Upon being
492:
district of Paris. Their bodies were discovered together in the apartment: Politi had been stripped naked and forced to lie face down, with his arms and legs bound in a "choke lace"; while Müller had been hung by her arms from the upright frame of a
824:
1025:
801:
569:
realized that their suspect was one of their own. Surviving witnesses recalled the suspect brandishing an official business card from the police or the gendarme; utilised police equipment such as handcuffs and
842:
1166:
878:
450:
Less than a month later, on 5 May 1986, 11-year-old Cécile Bloch was also travelling to school when she encountered Vèrove in the elevator of her apartment building, located at 116 Rue Petit in the
1086:
666:
Sophie Narne (23), who was murdered in an apartment she was showing in the 19th arrondissement of Paris on 5 December 1991. In 2022, another suspect was indicted for the rape and murder of Narme.
662:
Vérove is suspected of being the perpetrator of other attacks and crimes. Criminologist
Corinne Herrmann has hypothesised that Vérove could potentially be involved in the following murders:
1044:
482:
Vérove struck again eleven months later, on 28 April 1987, this time targeting two adults. His victims were Gilles Politi, a 38-year-old aerial technician, and
Irmgard Müller, a German
508:. Witnesses reported seeing an athletic man in his twenties enter Müller's apartment on the Rue de Sévigné on 27 April; he was seen again communicating with Müller through her
1143:
1193:
896:
654:'s office in Paris announced that a "DNA comparison established today a match between the DNA profile found at several crime scenes and that of the deceased man".
500:
Police believed that the killer had been in a personal relationship with Müller. Her contact book included a name, "Élie
Lauringe", which did not exist in France's
914:
420:, Vérove encountered an 8-year-old girl in an elevator as she was travelling to school. He forcibly dragged the girl to a basement of her apartment building,
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860:
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607:
718:
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774:
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her with a cord. Presumably believing he had killed her, Vérove fled the scene. However, the victim survived the assault and alerted authorities.
998:
1294:
1087:"Le « Grêlé » identifié grâce à l'ADN : il correspond à celui d'un ancien policier et gendarme qui s'est suicidé dans le Gard"
952:
267:
as part of an investigation into the Bloch killing. His wife reported him missing on 27 September. Two days later, Vérove killed himself by
1259:
1249:
1269:
1254:
1309:
303:. An only child, Vérove was raised by his strict father, his stepmother and two half-sisters; his birth mother had died of
399:
589:
determined that, before her death, she had had consensual sex with an unidentified man whose semen was recovered from a
593:. It was not until 2001 that a DNA sample taken from the tampon linked the Politi-Müller case to the murder of Bloch.
1024:
Denis
Courtine; Jean-Michel Décugis; Vincent Gautronneau; Jérémie Pham-Lê; Christian Goutorbe (30 September 2021).
497:, her throat slashed with a knife. Both victims had suffered physical torture via cigarette burns prior to death.
1274:
843:"«Ma chérie, je vais t'expliquer» : nos révélations sur les derniers jours du «Grêlé» et sa lettre d'adieu"
1304:
1284:
1264:
397:, where he resided until close to the time of his death in September 2021. Vérove appeared in 2019 on the show
393:, where he was elected as a municipal councillor in 2019. The following year, he moved elsewhere in Hérault to
362:. He was described by a former friend as "a gentleman to everyone" yet nevertheless could "get angry easily".
897:"Affaire du "Grêlé" : « François Vérove a-t-il rejoué les scènes d'un film d'horreur ? »"
331:
373:, in a house he himself constructed for his family. He then moved to the south of France, first settling in
611:
474:
451:
417:
374:
230:
446:
Police sketch made by the Paris Police
Prefecture of Bloch's killer, including the distinct pockmarks.
335:
241:
437:
218:
1023:
339:
296:
248:
in Paris until his retirement in 2019. He briefly held elected office as a municipal councillor in
245:
53:
1045:"Affaire du « Grêlé » : l'ex-gendarme qui s'est suicidé est bien le tueur en série"
825:"À La Grande-Motte, stupéfaction des voisins de François Vérove, le tueur en série dit "le Grêlé""
478:
Rue Sainte-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie, Marais, Paris, the scene of the Politi-Müller double homicide.
1279:
343:
233:. He was linked to two further murders in 1991 and 1994, as well as two rapes in 1987 and 1994.
236:
During his crime spree, Vérove belonged to various French police forces; he was a member of the
1244:
957:
697:
1026:"Affaire du « Grêlé » : 35 ans après, le criminel a enfin un nom et un visage"
1239:
1234:
359:
237:
442:
8:
222:
719:"Former police officer confesses he is notorious serial killer Le Grêlé in suicide note"
382:
1289:
1128:
864:
723:
636:
557:, where she was raped for several hours. Vérove fled the scene without killing Ingrid.
501:
403:
on state channel France 2 and told the host that he kept walkers in a Paris park safe.
314:
1216:
1167:"L'enquête sur le Grêlé à travers le regard des policiers et de la juge d'instruction"
879:"L'enquête sur le Grêlé à travers le regard des policiers et de la juge d'instruction"
300:
1042:
915:"L'épouse et les enfants du « Grêlé » entendus par la brigade criminelle"
459:
206:
and police officer who murdered at least three people between 1986 and 1994 in the
351:
207:
162:
1067:
745:
394:
194:
182:
1043:
Jean-Michel Décugis; Vincent
Gautronneau; Jérémie Pham-Lê (30 September 2021).
861:"L'ENQUÊTE - François Vérove : que révèle l'enquête sur "le Grêlé" ?"
628:
624:
598:
collected in the "Ingrid G." attack, which was soon tied to the earlier cases.
542:
370:
347:
309:
272:
71:
1144:"Meurtre de Karine Leroy : pas de preuves génétiques formelles contre le
582:
attack took place in Saclay, where a gendarmerie training centre was located.
1228:
571:
425:
386:
249:
199:
802:"Affaire du "Grêlé": 35 ans après, le criminel a enfin un nom et un visage"
779:
647:
280:
999:"Cécile Bloch, violée et tuée à 11 ans : le premier crime du "Grêlé""
1171:
1151:
1125:"Meurtre Sophie Narme : une énigme de 32 ans bientôt résolue ?"
1048:
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882:
846:
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366:
355:
268:
1211:
1105:
651:
546:
538:
489:
292:
264:
49:
32:
953:"French serial killer appeared on TV game show during 35-year manhunt"
627:
on 27 September. Vérove rented an apartment in the coastal commune of
390:
253:
794:
775:"Paris serial killer of 80s and 90s was ex-police officer, DNA shows"
505:
378:
304:
673:
on 9 June 1994; her body was found in a nearby forest a month later.
1090:
918:
750:
549:, Ingrid was driven more than an hour away to an abandoned farm at
522:
509:
494:
934:""Un monsieur tout le monde": un ex-collègue du "Grêlé" témoigne"
632:
619:
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87:
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themselves together. As a youth, Vérove was said to be a fan of
937:
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1109:
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354:
region. Throughout his police career, Vérove participated in
327:
226:
504:, leading investigators to believe that the name had been a
421:
276:
214:
seen on his face by witnesses following his first murder.
203:
75:
229:
in 1986. The following year he murdered two adults in the
240:
between 1983 and 1988, serving as a motorcyclist in the
710:
462:
of the suspect and led to the French press dubbing him
186:; 22 January 1962 – 29 September 2021), also known as
1122:
1103:
515:
488:
employed by Politi's family, in an apartment in the
411:
512:the following morning, shortly before the killing.
1068:"French ex-officer's DNA ends 35-year murder hunt"
746:"French ex-officer's DNA ends 35-year murder hunt"
1084:
931:
1226:
1141:
528:
291:François Vérove was born on 22 January 1962 in
259:On 24 September 2021, Vérove received a police
346:, performing his duties in the department of
1300:Serial killers who worked in law enforcement
810:(in French). No. 23977. 1 October 2021.
696:, by Elie Wajeman and Patricia Tourancheau,
469:
385:. Following his retirement, Vérove moved to
334:, serving in the motorcycle squadron of the
979:Bloch, Jean-Marc (presenter) (9 May 2010).
217:Vérove's first murder, that of 11-year-old
987:] (Television production) (in French).
835:
819:
817:
365:During his police career, Vérove lived in
31:
1123:Jean-Alphonse Richard (18 January 2023).
772:
1164:
1078:
473:
441:
1085:Antoine Albertini (30 September 2021).
814:
773:Chrisafis, Angelique (1 October 2021).
321:
1227:
950:
431:
210:region. He received his nickname from
198:, the "Pockmarked Man"), was a French
1062:
1060:
1058:
740:
738:
736:
734:
681:
533:After a seven-year lull in activity,
283:in which he confessed to his crimes.
193:
181:
65:
1295:People from Nord (French department)
932:Justine Chevalier (1 October 2021).
716:
657:
565:Police investigating the crimes of
458:; this description was included in
406:
400:Tout le monde veut prendre sa place
13:
1055:
972:
731:
669:Karine Leroy (19), disappeared in
144:5 May 1986 – 29 June 1994
14:
1321:
516:14th arrondissement victim (1987)
412:13th arrondissement victim (1986)
338:. By 1988 he had switched to the
1210:
1165:Courtine, Denis (8 March 2022).
560:
299:, France, and grew up in nearby
244:, then became an officer in the
1260:Drug-related suicides in France
1187:
1158:
1142:Jean-Marc Ducos (10 May 2016).
1135:
1116:
1097:
1036:
1017:
991:
951:Samuel, Henry (13 March 2024).
944:
925:
907:
318:. Vérove married in June 1985.
889:
871:
853:
766:
1:
1250:20th-century French criminals
1215:The dictionary definition of
1104:Patricia Tourancheau (2019).
717:Sage, Adam (1 October 2021).
703:
686:
342:and its jurisdictions in the
286:
271:overdose in a rented flat in
1270:French murderers of children
1255:Child sexual abuse in France
831:(in French). 1 October 2021.
618:case in 2014, requested the
574:; spoke recognizable police
452:19th arrondissement of Paris
418:13th arrondissement of Paris
7:
1310:Police misconduct in France
1204:
1005:(in French). 1 October 2021
358:activities and served as a
10:
1326:
435:
470:Politi-Müller case (1987)
375:Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône
326:In 1983, Vérove moved to
256:, between 2019 and 2020.
168:
156:
148:
138:
130:
125:
121:
101:
93:
83:
61:
42:
30:
23:
601:
466:(the "Pockmarked Man").
416:On 7 April 1986, in the
614:who had taken over the
344:Paris Police Prefecture
195:[ləɡʁɛle,ɡʁele]
1275:French police officers
981:L'affaire Cécile Bloch
643:on 29 September 2021.
479:
447:
438:Murder of Cécile Bloch
183:[fʁɑ̃swaveʁɔv]
1305:Game show contestants
1285:French serial killers
1265:French male criminals
985:The Cecile Bloch Case
646:Vérove left behind a
631:, where he committed
477:
445:
424:her and attempted to
179:French pronunciation:
108:Paramilitary gendarme
332:National Gendarmerie
322:Education and career
238:National Gendarmerie
221:, took place in the
16:French serial killer
903:. 22 November 2021.
612:investigating judge
432:Cécile Bloch (1986)
279:. He left behind a
223:19th arrondissement
140:Span of crimes
84:Cause of death
849:. 6 December 2021.
682:In popular culture
529:"Ingrid G." (1994)
480:
448:
315:Cannibal Holocaust
231:4th arrondissement
921:. 7 October 2021.
698:France Télévision
635:by overdosing on
460:facial composites
172:
171:
66:29 September 2021
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867:. 13 March 2024.
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754:. 1 October 2021
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729:
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658:Possible victims
608:Nathalie Turquey
407:Confirmed crimes
383:Bouches-du-Rhône
336:Republican Guard
242:Republican Guard
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185:
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114:Local councillor
94:Other names
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35:
21:
20:
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1074:. October 2021.
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885:. 8 March 2022.
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525:the apartment.
518:
472:
440:
434:
414:
409:
395:La Grande-Motte
340:National Police
330:and joined the
324:
301:Marcq-en-Barœul
289:
246:National Police
178:
175:François Vérove
157:
141:
117:
79:
69:
57:
47:
46:22 January 1962
38:
26:
25:François Vérove
17:
12:
11:
5:
1323:
1313:
1312:
1307:
1302:
1297:
1292:
1287:
1282:
1280:French rapists
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1272:
1267:
1262:
1257:
1252:
1247:
1242:
1237:
1223:
1222:
1206:
1203:
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1195:Insoupçonnable
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1115:
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1035:
1016:
990:
971:
943:
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906:
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730:
708:
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694:Insoupçonnable
688:
685:
683:
680:
675:
674:
667:
659:
656:
629:Le Grau-du-Roi
603:
600:
572:walkie-talkies
562:
559:
543:Seine-et-Marne
537:resurfaced in
530:
527:
517:
514:
502:civil registry
471:
468:
436:Main article:
433:
430:
413:
410:
408:
405:
371:Seine-et-Marne
348:Hauts-de-Seine
323:
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312:films such as
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273:Le Grau-du-Roi
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111:Police officer
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72:Le Grau-du-Roi
70:
68:(aged 59)
63:
59:
58:
48:
44:
40:
39:
37:Vérove in 1983
36:
28:
27:
24:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
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1245:2021 suicides
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1221:at Wiktionary
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958:The Telegraph
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387:Prades-le-Lez
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352:Île-de-France
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263:to provide a
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250:Prades-le-Lez
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208:Île-de-France
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200:serial killer
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163:Île-de-France
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1189:
1177:. Retrieved
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1007:. Retrieved
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962:. Retrieved
956:
946:
927:
909:
891:
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855:
837:
828:
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784:. Retrieved
780:The Guardian
778:
768:
756:. Retrieved
749:
722:
712:
693:
676:
661:
648:suicide note
645:
641:barbiturates
615:
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595:Fingerprints
584:
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519:
499:
483:
481:
463:
449:
415:
398:
377:and then in
364:
325:
313:
290:
281:suicide note
258:
235:
219:Cécile Bloch
216:
188:
187:
174:
173:
18:
1240:2021 deaths
1235:1962 births
1175:(in French)
1172:Le Parisien
1152:Le Parisien
1049:Le Parisien
1030:Le Parisien
883:Le Parisien
847:Le Parisien
807:Le Parisien
367:Longperrier
356:trade union
269:barbiturate
158:Location(s)
102:Occupations
1229:Categories
1106:"Le Grêlé"
704:References
687:Television
652:prosecutor
539:Mitry-Mory
456:acne scars
381:, both in
293:Gravelines
287:Early life
265:DNA sample
212:acne scars
50:Gravelines
1290:Fugitives
1009:1 October
829:France TV
786:1 October
758:1 October
724:The Times
606:In 2021,
585:Müller's
506:pseudonym
379:Martigues
305:influenza
1205:See also
1179:13 March
1091:Le Monde
1072:BBC News
964:15 March
919:Le Point
901:L'Alsace
751:BBC News
616:Le Grêlé
580:Le Grêlé
567:Le Grêlé
547:abducted
535:Le Grêlé
523:burgling
510:intercom
495:bunk bed
464:Le Grêlé
426:strangle
360:delegate
189:Le Grêlé
97:Le Grêlé
78:, France
56:, France
637:alcohol
633:suicide
625:missing
620:summons
587:autopsy
555:Essonne
485:au pair
391:Hérault
350:in the
261:summons
254:Hérault
149:Country
131:Victims
126:Details
88:Suicide
938:BFM TV
692:2024:
591:tampon
576:jargon
551:Saclay
521:after
490:Marais
310:horror
204:rapist
152:France
1218:grêlé
1146:Grêlé
1110:Sybel
1003:CNEWS
983:[
671:Meaux
610:, an
602:Death
422:raped
328:Paris
227:Paris
1181:2022
1011:2021
966:2024
788:2021
760:2021
639:and
297:Nord
277:Gard
134:3–9+
76:Gard
62:Died
54:Nord
43:Born
1129:RTL
865:RTL
225:of
1231::
1169:.
1150:.
1127:.
1108:.
1089:.
1070:.
1057:^
1047:.
1028:.
1001:.
955:.
936:.
917:.
899:.
881:.
863:.
845:.
827:.
816:^
804:.
777:.
748:.
733:^
721:.
553:,
541:,
389:,
369:,
295:,
275:,
252:,
202:,
74:,
52:,
1183:.
1154:.
1148:"
1131:.
1112:.
1093:.
1051:.
1032:.
1013:.
968:.
940:.
790:.
762:.
727:.
192:(
177:(
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