his friend's book bothers us

In a book to be published on October 15, 2020, Bruno de Stabenrath looks back on his years of friendship with Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès, alleged author of the five-fold murder of his family. And if the affair fascinates, the author's approach raises questions.

Almost ten years after the murder of the Dupont de Ligonnès family, the mystery remains unsolved: where is Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès, presumed guilty of the massacre? What is certain is that the investigation will have been marked by cascading twists. We remember, for example, the arrest of a 69-year-old pensioner in Glasgow, Scotland, on October 11, 2019. The man had remained in police custody for 20 hours, before the authorities understood that he did not. was not XDDL. It is therefore a year to the day that the writer Bruno de Stabenrath launched the communication of his book, The Impossible Friend, published by Gallimard editions, and looks back on his friendship with the alleged killer.

I had very beautiful memories. I found witnesses from the time. And then, my mother adored Xavier, my brothers too.

Bruno de Stabenrath made it big, giving an interview to the widely read Parisian. Published on October 9, we learn that the ex-friend wished with this book "to get rid of a burden." He also explains that he needed "restore some kind of truth", who guided her in her writing work. "Not to reduce Xavier to the murderer, the bloodthirsty guy who kills his family in cold blood. I had very beautiful memories. I found witnesses of the time. And then, my mother adored Xavier, my brothers too ", can we read in the interview.

This story destroyed a lot of people

These remarks are somewhat surprising when we know that Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès is probably guilty of the murder of his entire family (his wife, Agnès, and his four children, Arthur, Thomas, Anne and Benoît). In an interview this time with the Express, Bruno de Stabenrath drives the point home: "I have been carrying out my own investigation since the fivefold murder of 2011, nine years of work! (…) I did not want to reduce Xavier to his presumed role of murderer, but to carry out the autopsy of our friendship, to understand how we switch to the side obscure."

Bruno de Stabenrath made a point of having a thought for the victims, explaining that he was writing "to do justice to Agnes and the children. So that they are not forgotten." He finally returned to the aberrant comments of the family of Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès about the murders, believing that "his mother, who raised him as the 'chosen one', and his sister, have a conspiracy theory that these are not the real bodies. It's horrible! Denying their deaths is very serious . It's like killing them a second time! I have only one desire, and that is to get them into the cabbage. This story has destroyed a lot of people… ".

At a time when feminist associations insist on naming feminicides and familicides, and where the media are changing the way they deal with news items, this communication can only cringe. It remains to be seen whether the book will actually pay homage to those to be remembered, namely the victims.

The Impossible Friend will be released at Gallimard on October 15, 2020.

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