On October 16, 1984, the body of little Grégory Villemin was found. In 40 years, justice has not managed to find the culprit of this murder. Philippe Astruc, new prosecutor general at the Dijon Court of Appeal, believes that it is his duty to “continue to work” on this case and do so “with serenity and “self-sacrifice”.
Will we be able, one day, to know the truth? 40 years after the death of Grégory Villemin, this little 4 year old boy found drowned, bound hand and foot, in Vologne, October 16, 1984, justice is still seeking to resolve this extraordinary criminal case.
DNA comparisons and expertise have been underway since last spring. A feasibility study in voice biometrics has also been launched, to find out if it is possible to identify the voice of the crow(s) making the telephone calls. franceinfo met Philippe Astruc, the new prosecutor general at the Dijon Court of Appeal, where the Grégory case is being investigated.
franceinfo: You arrived in Dijon in the summer of 2024, and you first had to delve into the some 17,765 documents in this file. As attorney general, you are the one who is authorized to communicate on the case. Is the investigation at a standstill, 40 years after the events?
Philippe Astruc: No. The investigation is conducted at the Dijon Court of Appeal and we work with serenity, I believe, with self-sacrifice, because we owe the truth to the victims. And that must continue. As long as there are actions to be taken, as long as we can move forward and hope to move forward in the manifestation of the truth, we must continue to work.
After the legal fiasco, but also the media fiasco, at the start of this affair, why does the “serenity” you speak of seem particularly necessary in this case?
It is essential in any criminal case. Our job is to put things at a safe distance. It’s an extraordinary case, we all know that, and well, the more extraordinary a case, the more we have to work in a classic way on the fundamentals: the presumption of innocence, the secrecy of the investigation, clearly distinguishing what It is only a hypothesis of what is an established element, as one investigates in any serious criminal case and tries to go beyond the halo which surrounds 40 years of investigations.
Last March, new expert opinions were ordered following requests for documents from Grégory’s parents, via their lawyers. Are these assessments still in progress today?
I do not wish to comment on current actions. I think there is no point in leafing through and teaching with an open book.
“If there should be a significant breakthrough, naturally, I will communicate, but I do not wish to fuel any form of illusion.”
Philippe Astruc, attorney generalat franceinfo
That is to say that we continue to carry out technical and scientific examinations, we also benefit from advances in science, but these are only elements. If there is an expertise, a scientific element that is added to the file, or even that reveals a name, it must always be compared with the 17,765 procedural documents that are in this case. So it is not an expertise that will resolve the Gordian knot of this affair.
But expertise can still move things forward…
Exactly, that’s why there are regular feasibility studies on this or that technique. You basically have three fields of analysis. There are nine DNA left to identify. On the seals, you have the analyzes of the raven’s writings. And the analyzes on some of the thousand threatening calls that were received. Some have been recorded and are under investigation. So, of course, we must continue to move forward with science, it can, perhaps, provide us with interesting information, but which should not be taken in isolation. This is why I refrain from communicating just on expert results.
There is the progress of science, but also the testimonies, even 40 years later. Is this more traditional investigative work?
Yes, it continues. It is the Dijon research section which, at the request of the magistrate, Dominique Braud, president of the Dijon investigating chamber, on a case-by-case basis, carries out hearings, verifications and classic investigative acts. This is also continuing.
“We work stubbornly, quietly, with serenity, and we try as much as possible to get as close as possible to the manifestation of the truth.”
Philippe Astruc, attorney generalat franceinfo
I will give you an example that has nothing to do with it, but these are also extremely serious facts. The attack on Rue des Rosiers in 1982 saw its legal outcome a few years ago. So, we have a duty to be stubborn. There is a four-year-old child who has been waiting for justice for 40 years. There are two parents who have been waiting for justice for 40 years. I think that the duty of the judicial institution, in a calm manner, is to continue working as long as there are things to investigate.
Have you met Grégory Villemin’s parents?
Yes, I recently met Mr. and Mrs. Villemin with their lawyers. I usually do it as much as possible in criminal cases because, of course, there are the minutes, the judicial material on which we work. But there is also, in every criminal matter, a human dimension. I believe it is important for victims to be able to know who is working on the file that is the file of their life. It’s important. And to have this human contact between an attorney general and victims, for me, it is essential. It also allows me to perhaps feel what expectations they have today of the judicial institution. This is also an important element for me.
