the Jacob couple come out of the silence for the first time in 36 years

On BFMTV, Marcel and Jacqueline Jacob, great-uncle and great-aunt of little Grégory Villemin, spoke during an exceptional interview. The couple affirms "not to be afraid" and wants to collaborate with justice.

The assassination of Grégory Villemin, four years old, on October 16, 1984, remains one of the great legal mysteries in France. Marcel and Jacqueline Jacob, the little boy's great-uncle and great-aunt, long suspected in this affair against a background of family jealousy, answered BFMTV's questions on January 31, 2021, 36 years after the murder. An interview that falls while new investigations have been launched and DNA analyzes on forty people are underway. "We have nothing to be ashamed of", they claim today. They also say "do not be afraid" to collaborate with justice. "They've already taken my DNA twice, they can come, I'm not afraid", insists Marcel Jacob.

To read also: Grégory affair: the father of the little boy comes out of his silence for the first time in 15 years

Are the Jacob spouses the "ravens"?

The Jacobs repeat their alibi: the day little Grégory disappeared, they were working at the factory. According to them, their statements were verified at the time of the crime by a visit of the gendarmerie in their company. The investigators suspected the couple to be the famous "crows". Anonymous, hateful, insulting and threatening letters as well as a letter claiming the crime had been sent to the Villemin family. Marcel and Jacqueline Jacob were indicted in June 2017 for "kidnapping and forcible confinement followed by death". However, these decisions were overturned in May 2018 due to a procedural flaw.

"I never wrote a letter", launches Jacqueline Jacob to the continuous information channel. "We have no idea" on the identity of the raven, but "Getting us to blame is the worst thing they've done. (…) They were wrong from A to Z, all the way ", explains the couple. For them, no "family secret", But "a crushed life and family". "Killing a child is not possible", conclude the spouses, repeating that their situation before justice is also "monstrous".

Celine Peschard

Journalist who likes the versatility that his job can offer. Specialized in the historical field, societal subjects and auteur films, against a background of electronic music. University curriculum based …