The ex-wife of the French killer who is responsible for the murder of Joanna Parrish has been found guilty of complicity and was sentenced to life in prison.
The father of the victim said that he is satisfied with the conviction of Monique Olivier over her role in aiding her serial killer ex-husband. Parrish was killed in the French city of Auxerre by Michel Fourniret, who was nicknamed the "Ogre of the Ardennes."
Joanna Parrish Murder
During a press conference in Nanterre on Tuesday, Roger Parrish spoke after Olivier was reportedly found guilty of being complicit in his daughter's murder, as well as those of Marie-Angele Domece in 1988 and Estelle Mouzin in 2003.
The 20-year-old Parrish was murdered in 1990 while she was working as an English teacher during her gap year. Her body was discovered in the River Yonne and a post-mortem examination found that she was raped, beaten, and strangled.
The 75-year-old ex-wife of the French killer admitted in court that what she had done had been "monstrous." However, she said that she was intimidated by her ex-husband and was scared of going against him, as per Independent.
On the other hand, the prosecution argued that Olivier had been a willing participant and had repeatedly passed over chances to help victims to escape. Parrish's father added that there was no doubt that she was equally responsible for the murder of his daughter and the other completely innocent victims.
Parrish asked for a moment so that he could remember all of the victims and later said that they were glad that the court recognized Olivier's part in the crimes. He argued that from the first time that a victim was identified, she knew exactly what would happen to them. He noted that not only did she not do anything, she encouraged and participated in the acts.
Fourniret was arrested in 2003 in Belgium and was sentenced to life in prison in 2008 for the murder and the rape or attempted rape of seven female teenagers and young women in France and Belgium between 1987 and 2001.
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Guilty of Complicity
In 2021, the French killer died aged 79 before authorities could bring him to trial for the murders of his victims. Defendants in French trials do not make a plea but Olivier said that she acknowledged all the facts, the three of which she was reproached, according to The Guardian.
Olivier said that her ex-husband beat 20-year-old Parrish until she was unconscious on May 16, 1990, before raping and strangling her. She said that the French killer then disposed of the victim's body by throwing it in the River Yonne near the Burgundy town of Auxerre.
French authorities also charged Olivier with complicity in the disappearance of nine-year-old Mouzin, whose body has not yet been found despite extensive searches two decades on. Individuals who are sentenced to life in France become eligible for parole after 18 to 22 years.
However, prosecutors cited "the exceptional gravity of the acts committed and the necessary protection of society." Prosecutors highlighted Olivier's strategy of gaining the trust of Domece and Parrish, said the Daily Mail.
