In April 1972, the working-class town of Bruay-en-Artois (Pas-de-Calais) was in turmoil: Brigitte Dewèvre, 15, was found dead on vacant land near the settlements.
At that time, Daniel Bourdon, author of three books around this affair, was a child and lived a few meters from the victim’s family. He recounts, in Voices of Crime, the shock of the news in the city. “The case caused a lot of noise because we found Brigitte’s body not far from her home,” he explains. And in the settlements, it speaks“, explains the man who will become a police officer.
He knew Brigitte’s brother very well with whom he played football. A child, like him, who unwittingly finds himself at the heart of the crime scene. “He plays football on a vacant lot and on the vacant lot the ball rolls and finally he goes looking for the ball and he will find a very white body. He’ll think he’s an alcoholic.”
And it’s Brigitte’s father who will say ‘She’s my daughter’
Daniel Bourdon ex-police officer and novelist
Brigitte’s brother does not recognize his sister and calls for help. “Obviouslyhe is going to go look for his father, reports Daniel Bourdon. Neighbors and people will come to the place. They won’t realize it right away. And it’s Brigitte’s father who will say ‘She’s my daughter’. He recognizes his daughter at the scene of the crime.”
Very quickly, the town notary, Pierre Leroy, was arrested. However, he is not at the origin of this crime. Despite the dropping of charges against him, the inhabitants of Bruay-en-Artois remain anchored in a perspective of class struggle: why else would a daughter of miners have been killed in Bruay-en-Artois if not by a notable? Even today, mystery hangs over this affair. No one has ever been convicted.
>> Voices of Crime are lawyers, investigators, close to victims, suspects or culprits. These key witnesses speak to RTL journalists. Unpublished testimonies, which shed new light on justice and the major criminal cases of today.
Twice a month, one of these Voices of Crime tells us their point of view on a criminal case. An RTL podcast.
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