A woman from France was found murdered and dismembered last week. The victim's American husband was arrested and taken into police custody after he was suspected to be the murderer because he was about to board a flight out of France.
Suspect's escape
According to the New York Post, the police in the south of France discovered the dismembered remains of the victim, Laure Bardina-Kruger, a 52-year-old French woman and a teacher.
The remains were found in a storm drain on July 24 in Peyriac-de-Mer. Bardina-Kruger and her husband Billy Kruger lived in Jakarta, Indonesia, according to the New York Post. The husband, who is now the suspect, is originally from Brooklyn, New York.
The Facebook profile that belongs to Billy Kruger says that he attended Tufts University in Massachusetts. According to the police report, Kruger was apprehended at an airport in France on July 24 when he was departing for an unknown destination.
Kruger confessed to stabbing his wife, killing her, but he claimed that it was self-defense. The couple usually spends a few weeks in Peyriac-de-Mer every year.
Authorities told the Mirror that the two had been planning to visit the woman's relatives in France before they return to Indonesia, where she works as a teacher. The two have a son but it is not clear where he was when the murder happened.
A detective told the Mirror that Bardina-Kruger's father called the police when she did not turn up for a family reunion in Carcassonne. She was supposed to say goodbye to her family before the two returns to Indonesia.
The police were asked to search for the victim and they found her in a gutter near the house. The Facebook pages of both the husband and the wife show pictures of their exotic travel adventures. There is a boy that is included in the pictures.
According to Bardina-Kruger's brother, who posted his sentiments on Facebook, Billy Kruger's arrest and Bardina-Kruger's murder leaves his nephew without parents. According to Mirror, the two were last seen together on July 23 at a restaurant in Peyriac-de-Mer.
Pierre Bardina, the victim's brother, shared the horrifying news of his sister's gruesome death on Facebook. He said that they do not know yet what really happened, but they never got any alarm signal from his sister regarding any violent acts against her by Billy.
Pierre added that he thought it only happens to other people, but violence against women can happen suddenly, whether the husband has a history of it or not. The authorities have not released any information about the circumstances of the murder or any possible motive from Billy.
Violence against women
The French government unveiled its plan to combat domestic violence against women. In 2018, 121 women in France were killed by their partners, as reported by The New York Times.
According to records, in France alone, a woman is killed every three days. France has one of the highest rates of violence against women in Western Europe.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said that there had been a collective silence on the failure to address the issue of violence against women. He added that silence kills and is encouraging women to speak up and report their experiences.
The government has increased efforts in schools to raise awareness of abuse and violence. A 24/7 hotline was launched to help report cases of domestic abuse. The government also hired social workers and stationed them in police stations so that victims can get help immediately.
