“I am a murderer”, the father of little Gregory delivers a poignant message 40 years after the affair

Little Grégory's father, Jean-Marie Villemin, wrote the preface to the comic strip “Grégory”, published this Thursday by Les Arènes. He evokes the death of his son in a touching story.

On October 16, 1984, little Grégory Villemin, 4 years old, disappeared in the town of L&eacutepanges-sur-Vologne. His body was found A few hours later, in the Vologne, a river in the Vosges, it was the beginning of a historic legal case, which marked and moved the whole of France. Forty years later, the release of the comic strip “Grégory” by Les Arènes, this Thursday, October 3, 2024, marks a turning point for his father, Jean-Marie Villemin, who decided to express his thoughts differently. His words are rare, in the media and in general, his last appearance dates back to 2006, at the time he gave an interview to the newspaper La Croix. The comic strip “Grégory”, co-written by Pat Perna and illustrated by Christophe Gaultier, allows little Gégory's father to express his truths in a poignant preface. He is also the main character of the album.

"I cracked, I took my cousin's life"

&Through his lines, Jean-Marie Villemin returns to "the total annihilation" felt after the murder of his son. "I wonder how we survived. We were lost (him and his wife), at the bottom of the abyss, without any support, tossed about by "events and erratic justice". Because, yes, the father of little Gregory tackles the treatment of the case head-on in the preface to this comic strip. For him, the investigators, magistrates and journalists “who have approached the case closely, and some of whom have devastated it, express themselves without scruple or shame and take advantage of the situation to say anything”. He denounces the “manipulations” of certain journalists “which have caused so much delay in the search for the truth and so many misfortunes that should never have happened”.

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His story also states guilt. In March 1985, he killed his cousin Bernard Laroche with a rifle, the latter being suspected of being linked to the murder of Gregory. “I cracked, I took my cousin's life, I will forever remain a murderer. I regret it so much,” he admits. For these acts, he was sentenced to five years in prison in 1993. “Revenge is not a solution,” he admits. “You have to live with this burden afterwards. I have matured, I have learned, I have calmed down and I know the price of pain and tears,” he writes in his preface. However, nothing will be able to give her back her child. “A crow whose identity we still do not know killed our 4-year-old son to make me die of grief. In the name of what ? To satisfy what hatred ?", questions that remain unanswered, even today.

"I think every day about our little man, Gregory”

For Jean-Marie Villemin, “the final result” of this comic strip “is impressive, surprising, heartbreaking, to say the least”. It was even he who wanted to “take the lead” of the fortieth anniversary of his son's death. “I like this means of expression that can be rigorous, accessible to all”, he confides. He concludes his preface by addressing Gregory directly:  “I think very hard, every day, about our little man, Gregory, who gives us the strength to live without him, to live outside of hatred, without rancor, to live happily and to live for his memory. Forever with him”. Gregory's mother, Christine Villemin, did not wish to participate in the comic strip project.