Michel Fourniret was a French serial killer who was convicted of the murders of seven girls and young women between 1987 and 2003. He was dubbed the “Ogre of the Ardennes” by the media. He also attempted to murder five others, but was unsuccessful in some cases.
Fourniret was born on April 4, 1942 in Sedan, France and grew up with his father and two sisters. His father was an abusive alcoholic, which left Fourniret with mental health issues. At age 18 he joined the military but only served for nine months due to mental illness. Following his discharge, he became a truck driver and married Monique Olivier in November 1971.
He began his killing spree in 1987 when he lured 17-year-old Isabelle Laville into his car while she was hitchhiking near Charleville-Mézières. After that he went on to abduct and murder more than six other victims between June 1987 and June 2003 including 17-year-old Fabienne Leroy from Belgium.
Fourniret’s wife Olivier assisted him with some of his crimes, helping him find victims or disposing of evidence afterwards. She even wrote letters to one victim’s family after her disappearance to make them believe she had gone off with another man instead of being kidnapped by Fourniret.
In 2004, Michel Fourniret pleaded guilty to all charges against him including rape, kidnapping and murder which resulted in a life sentence without parole in 2008. He was serving this sentence at La Santé Prison in Paris where he spends 23 hours per day alone in an 8 m2 cell.
He died on May 10, 2021.