It was twenty years ago, on the night of December 17 to 18, 2004. Chantal Klimaszewski, 48 years old, and Lucette Gariod, 40 years old, nurse and caregiver at the Pau psychiatric hospital center, were killed by a former patient who had burst into their psycho-geriatrics ward. Guided by a crisis episode linked to his schizophrenia, Romain Dupuy, 21, decapitated the first victim by placing his head on a television then slit the throat of the second he encountered in a corridor.
Twenty years later, Romain Dupuy is still hospitalized in psychiatry, faithfully to the dismissal order issued at the end of 2007. A judgment which made him criminally irresponsible for his actions but ordered him to be kept in a closed unit in a CHP . At the end of a very long legal battle, his lawyer, Me Hélène Lecat, obtained her transfer from the Unit for Difficult Patients to an open unit in October 2023.
The perpetrator of the double homicide left the Cadillac hospital center for that of Charles-Perrens, in Bordeaux. “He is still in an ordinary unit and things are going very well,” his advice indicated, a few days before December 17. He has a little more freedom, he evolves. He has outings but they are always accompanied by caregivers, despite their requests for unaccompanied outings. »
“Patient profile (double homicide)”
Romain Dupuy, now 41, has made six requests for temporary release since his arrival in the open unit. All were refused. “It is, however, a care measure so that he can move forward in his reconstruction and reintegration, but we continue to refuse,” says his council. The latest one, on October 7, mentions “patient profile (double homicide)” as the reason. »
“The prefecture has remained stuck on this stigmatization for twenty years and I know very well why. Public opinion is not with us”
For a year, the forty-year-old has already been going on a few outings with caregivers. “He can go to lunch at a restaurant, walk down the street, buy clothes, etc. » But the doctors would like to see him go one step further. “They would like him to be able to go out for less than twelve hours to consider an outpatient care program. »
The prefecture always refuses this possibility and requests new expertise as soon as the door is ajar. “Because it is Romain Dupuy, the authority maintains the prefectural security measures and continues its relentlessness for the purposes of social control,” continues the lawyer. The prefecture has remained stuck on this stigmatization for twenty years and I know very well why. We know that public opinion is not with us. »
Hobbies, a companion
The lawyer and her client multiply the signals which contribute to a return to ordinary life. Romain Dupuy could have accommodation outside and a transport card in the event of going out. He followed training (in general psychology) which he validated with a final 14/20 and is passionate about music and drawing.
The results of toxicological tests show that the author of the double homicide no longer touches the drugs which were involved in his act. “This is one of the concerns of the prefecture,” underlines his lawyer. What if he started using drugs again? But I can assure you that he saw some go to a psychiatric hospital and that he never touched them again. »
Recently, the Béarnais man has been dating a woman he met shortly after arriving in an open unit. “Physically, he is doing much better since he left UMD,” underlines Mr.e Lecat. It is more stabilized than it has ever been. It’s a whole different life. He has a cell phone, for example. He is no longer obliged to settle in a padded cell having previously requested authorization before calling his family. »
Would criminal justice have passed?
The eternal patient is not unaware of the looming anniversary date. “He cohabits and lives with this tragedy which he has obviously been thinking about for twenty years,” assures his lawyer. He doesn’t forget it. It’s not easy to say because we think of the victims’ loved ones but he too has to live with that. »
Romain Dupuy also knows that justice for patients is not the same as that for citizens who are subject to criminal sanctions. “If he had not been found not criminally responsible, he would have been out since [dans le cas d’une réclusion avec peine de sûreté de vingt ans, NDLR]. But his name is Romain Dupuy. »
Ceremony at the CHP
As the twentieth anniversary of the tragedy approaches, “the Center Hospitalier des Pyrénées expresses its support and solidarity towards the victims and their families”. A tribute will be organized this December 18 on site, in the presence of families and professionals from the Pau CHP “in order to honor the memory of Chantal and Lucette”.
