On September 26, 2020, Victorine Dartois, 18, walked back to her family home in Villefontaine after an afternoon of shopping with friends. After a final call to her family at 6:50 p.m. to say that she is “coming in 20 minutes”, she disappears.
Less than 48 hours later, his body was found in the Turitin stream, his pants nearby. The autopsy findings confirm the student’s strangulation and death by drowning.
Twenty days after the events, Ludovic Bertin, 25 years old at the time, was arrested thanks to the report of a relative in whom he had confided.
In police custody, he claims to have encountered the victim while jogging. After an involuntary shove, then an argument, he allegedly “panicked” and “squeezed Victorine’s neck” before hiding her body in a torrent.
A repeat offender suspect
Even though he denies any sexual motive, he is indicted for murder preceded by attempted rape. For justice, he removed the girl’s pants but was hampered by the young woman’s resistance and the arrival of a third party.
A few months after his arrest, the suspect was placed in police custody again, another young woman accused him of rape in 2018. He will be tried by the Assize Court for these two cases and faces criminal imprisonment at perpetuity.
The disappearance and death of Victorine had caused strong emotion in Villefontaine. Nearly 6,000 people paid tribute to him during a white march on October 4, 2020. And three days later, more than a thousand people also attended his funeral.
The decision of the Assize Court is expected around December 6.
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