Ogre of Ardennes' widow on trial for involvement in British student's murder 33 years ago
27 November 2023, 17:17 | Updated: 27 November 2023, 17:24
The window of a French serial killer is to go on trial on 28 November for her part in the murder of a British student in France 33 years ago.
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Joanna Parrish was 20 years old when she was raped and killed in Moneteau, France in May 1990 by Michel Fourniret, infamously known as the Ogre of Ardennes.
He confessed to her murder three years before he died in prison in 2021.
On 28 November, his widow, Monique Olivier, is to go on trial and is said to have been complicit in Ms Parrish's death.
Olivier, 75, now faces three murder charges, while already serving a life sentence for five other murders carried out by her late husband.
The first charge is for assisting in the kidnapping and murder of Marie-Angele Domece in 1988.
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The second is for the case of Joanna Parrish, and the third is for complicity in the 2003 disappearance of Estelle Mouzin, 9, whose body has never found.
At the time of her death, Ms Parrish was working as an English teaching assistant at the Jacques Aumont high school in Auxrre, Burgandy, as part of her French degree at Leeds University.
Her post-mortem revealed the student had been beaten and raped before her naked body was dumped in the River Yonne.
Fourniret was jailed in 2008 for murdering seven girls.
However, it took years before he confessed Ms Parrish was another of his victims.
The Ogre of Ardennes died before he faced the courts.
Olivier admitted she lured young girls to their home for her husband and has reportedly admitted to aiding her husband in disposing of the bodies.
Joanne's father, Roger Parrish, has been trying to get justice for his late daughter and has visited France multiple times to keep his daughter's death in the public eye.
He told the Times that his solicitor, Didier Seban said the family " cannot look ahead" until the "judicial truth has been spoken".
In 2018, when Fourniret confessed to the murder, Mr Parrish said he was "relieved".
He added: "If we can get that kind of certainty it would be a huge relief. It's the final hurdle that we've faced for the last 27 years.
"We try to get on with our lives as best we can. But there are times with it comes back when you least expect.
"Our lawyers are confident that this has a degree of positivity which we've not had up to now. We're being guarded about it because of our past experience."
