| Murder of Laetitia Toureaux | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Paris Métro Line 8,Paris,France |
| Date | 16 May 1937; 87 years ago (1937-05-16) 6:27 p.m. – 6:28 p.m. (CET) |
Attack type | Stabbing |
| Weapon | Knife |
| Victim | Laetitia Toureaux |
| Perpetrators | Unknown |
| Motive | Unknown |
Lætitia-Marie-Joséphine Toureaux (néeNourrissat; 11 September 1907 – 16 May 1937) was a murder victim who was found stabbed to death inside an emptyParis Métro carriage.[1] Further investigations into her death later revealed that other than working as afactory worker in the day, she worked as aspy to infiltrate theLa Cagoule, a far-right terrorist group, who may have been behind her death.[2] However, the case was dropped in 1939 during the start of theSecond World War before any suspects could be identified, leaving her murder unsolved.[1]
Laetitia Toureaux | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lætitia-Marie-Joséphine Nourrissat 11 September 1907 |
| Died | 16 May 1937(1937-05-16) (aged 29) Paris, France |
| Cause of death | Homicide bystabbing |
| Spouse | |
Laetitia Nourrissat was born inOyace, a municipality in French-speakingAosta Valley. She moved toParis with her mother and her four siblings. In 1930, she married Jules Toureaux. She was found dead in aParis Métro carriage atPorte Dorée on 16 May 1937, having suffered a single stab wound in the neck. This crime was widely discussed at the time, and the interwar period generated multiple speculations, involving the secret services and the violent political groupLa Cagoule.[2] Toureaux entered an unoccupied metro car at one stop, and was found stabbed to death less than 90 seconds later at the next stop.[3] Toureaux was the first person to be killed on the Paris Métro.[4][5]
Police investigations, led by Commissioner Badin,[6] found that the victim was leading a double life,[7][8] and that her entire family, originally from Italy, had relocated to France. Many Italians came to Paris at the time in search of work.[9] Toureaux worked during the day in a factory,[8] but was found to also be working under a false name as an attendant at a dance hall with a seedy reputation, and frequently making discreet visits to the Italian Embassy. She was known to have had various lovers, leading police to initially suspect a crime of passion. However, further investigation revealed she had been working as a spy.[9] She had been employed to infiltrate La Cagoule,[2] a far-right terrorist group that was often overlooked later in post-war France.[2] In 1937, a member of La Cagoule who was in police custody stated thatJean Filiol was behind Toureaux's death. Another member also claimed later on that Toureaux's murder was decided at a Cagoule meeting, although he later retracted the statement, saying it had been given under duress.[10] The case was dropped two years later at the outbreak of theSecond World War and the files will be kept from the public until 2038, leaving the case unsolved.[2]
On 29 June 1978, one episode of the French TV seriesDe mémoire d'homme (From man's memory) was based on the murder of Toureaux. It was namedL'affaire Laetitia Toureaux ou Le crime parfait. A book namedMurder in a Metro was also written about the crime.[4]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
