Dominique Pelicot, already sentenced to 20 years for drugging and orchestrating the rape of his ex-wife Gisèle Pelicot, is now under formal investigation for the 1991 rape and murder of a Paris estate agent and an attempted rape in 1999. The cases have been reopened by investigators in Nanterre, who are exploring whether Pelicot may have been a serial offender over several decades.
The 1999 attempted rape involved a 19-year-old estate agent in the Seine-et-Marne area. The attacker, using a false name, requested to view a top-floor flat, then pushed her to the ground, tied her hands, and covered her face with ether-soaked fabric. The victim fought back and locked herself in a cupboard. DNA from Pelicot, collected after a 2010 arrest for filming up women's skirts, matched blood found at the scene, but the evidence was not initially included in the case file.
The 1991 murder of a 23-year-old estate agent in Paris bears striking similarities: the victim was found strangled and stabbed, on her stomach with hands tied, and ether was present. Police noted the same modus operandi, including the use of a false name to view a top-floor flat. Pelicot has denied involvement in the murder but admitted to the attempted rape, claiming he felt 'blocked' when he realised the victim was his daughter's age.
Gisèle Pelicot, who has become a symbol of the fight against sexual violence, said learning of the 1999 case was 'like an explosion'. The investigation continues, with Pelicot potentially facing another trial. Meanwhile, about 20 unidentified men from the videos of her rapes remain at large.
