French former police officer admitted to being serial killer before suicide
https://m.independent.ie/world-news/europe/french-former-police-officer-admitted-to-being-serial-killer-before-suicide-40909529.html
A French former police officer confessed in a suicide note to being a serial killer and rapist whose crimes have haunted Parisian detectives for decades, according to local reports.
The body of Francois Verove was said to have been found in a rented flat in the town of Grau-du-Roi, days after he was summoned for DNA testing in connection with murders linked to a man known as Le Grele, or the pockmarked man, due to witness descriptions of his face.
Le Grele was believed to be behind several murders over a decade from the mid-1980s. Among those thought to be his victims was Cecile Bloch, an 11-year-old girl who was reported missing after not arriving at school one day in 1986.
Police were finally closing in on Verove when he took a lethal dose of medication, leaving a note that said: “I admit being a great criminal who committed unforgivable acts until the end of the 1990s,” according to Le Parisien.
He was said to have confessed to murders without details of the victims or circumstances. Prosecutors have said his DNA matches samples found at crime scenes .
He was given the nickname early in the investigation into the murder of Cecile Bloch, who was found dead in the basement of her apartment building after having been raped, strangled and stabbed.
Verove was said to have been married with two children. Neighbours said he was a family man who led a quiet life. They were shocked upon hearing the news of his confession.
One said: “Francois was a solid fellow, very tall. He was very helpful. And he regularly came to help out my wife Therese’s computers … This story is incredible.”