On Tuesday October 20, 1987, Marie-Françoise Raymond returned home after her day of work at the Besançon rectorate and discovered her daughter Virginie, lying on the kitchen floor, lying in a pool of blood.
The autopsy reveals that the teenager received 14 stab wounds. A murder of rare savagery. At the crime scene, investigators have very few clues. No signs of break-in. No sexual assault. The only evidence for the police: Virginie knew her murderer, to whom she had to open the door without suspicion.
Many avenues are sifted, without success. For more than 30 years, the investigation stalled. Who is behind this murder, which has spread fear in the city of Besançon? In 2019, investigators relaunched the case with a call for witnesses, in the hope that new testimonies will finally lift the veil on this file as appalling as it is enigmatic.
To listen
Murder of Virginie Raymond: the call for witnesses which relaunches the investigation 32 years later
00:44:01
In The Hour of Crime: the Pradel archives dedicated to this case, Me Catherine Bresson, the lawyer for the victim’s parents, discusses the impact of this call for witnesses, one month after its broadcast, in December 2019. “This was made in November , and worked very well. It allowed us to have leads that are currently being exploited. Everything is under investigation.”
A breakthrough that gives new hope for Virginie’s loved ones. “We say to ourselves that even 32 years later, there are witnesses who came to call the judicial police to say ‘we remembered such and such a thing'”, reports Me Bresson. “We were able to determine different profiles that emerged. These profiles are being compared. We hope that the DNA will match,” she adds.
Today, all leads remain unanswered. If this matter remains unresolved, one thing remains certain: the fight of Virginie’s family to finally know the truth about his death is unshakeable.
Read more
