It’s a spine-chilling affair. In 1956, Denise Labbé and Jacques Algarron, nicknamed the “diabolical lovers”, had to face justice. They were both sentenced to forced labor, one for life, the other for 20 years. Find out why.
It was a sordid affair that took place in 1954. On November 8 of that year, a mother, Denise Labbé, kills her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter by drowning her in a washing machine. She would have made such a decision to respect a request from her lover, Jacques Algarron. In 1956, they were both tried for this drama. The judges tried to determine the role of the man in this tragedy which claimed the life of a little girl. This trial had been very followed at the time and had made a lot of noise. At the helm, Denise Labbé explained the beginnings of her relationship with Jacques Algarron. She had explained that he wrote her a lot of letters in which he asked to sleep with other men and to tell her how it went.
In August 1954, she announced to him that she was pregnant with him. Only, he does not want the child and asks her to have an abortion. Seeking at all costs to see how far she could go out of love for him, he wrote to her: “You have a daughter. Would you kill her for me?” Denise Labbé assured that she answered yes and thus killed her daughter. For the judges, it was difficult to know the impact of Jacques Algarron since he burned all the letters once the drama was over. Investigators did, however, find a note that read:When it’s done send me a telegram.” On November 8, 1954, Denise Labbé wrote to him: “Catherine deceased“.
Jacques Algarron is described as a cold and enigmatic man
Despite everything, when he finds Denise Labbé, he claims to be disappointed and to feel nothing more. He decides to leave her. At trial, psychiatric experts say he is a cold and enigmatic man. Denise Labbé will be sentenced to forced labor for life, while Jacques Algarron will be given the same sentence for 20 years.