PARIS, France — Dominique Pélicot, the convicted rapist whose crimes against his wife shocked France, was questioned on Thursday by investigators regarding his suspected involvement in unsolved rapes and murders dating back to the 1990s.
Pélicot, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for drugging and facilitating the rape of his now ex-wife, Gisèle Pélicot, was interrogated by an investigating magistrate specialising in cold cases, his lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro, confirmed to the Associated Press.
New Investigations into 1990s Cases
French authorities have been scrutinising Pélicot’s potential involvement in two separate cases—the 1991 murder of real estate agent Sophie Narme in Paris and the 1999 attempted armed rape of another real estate agent in Villeparisis, a suburb of the capital.
Pélicot denies any connection to Narme’s murder, according to his lawyer. However, in the 1999 case, while Pélicot acknowledges meeting the woman and attempting to undress her, he denies that his actions amounted to attempted rape.
Both cases were formally reopened in September 2022 and transferred to France’s specialised unit for cold cases and serial crimes based in Nanterre.
Pélicot has been under formal investigation since October 2022, a legal status indicating that investigators believe there is substantial evidence against him.
Similarities Between the Cases
Lawyer Florence Rault, who represents Narme’s family and the woman targeted in the 1999 rape attempt, pointed to striking similarities in the method used in both crimes.
“There are such similarities in the mode of operation, in the way the victims were approached – and the victims are so identical, too – that one can legitimately ask many questions,” Rault told RTL radio.
Zavarro, Pélicot’s lawyer, maintained his client’s innocence in Narme’s murder, stating that he had never met her.
However, she acknowledged that Pélicot had previously admitted to meeting the Villeparisis victim and that his DNA was found at the scene.
“He acknowledged having been in contact with this young woman,” Zavarro said.
“His DNA is there, so there’s no issue there. He acknowledged having had an altercation with her, having tried to undress her, but with intentions different from attempted rape.”
Conviction in the Gisèle Pélicot Case
The new questioning comes just two months after Pélicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison for orchestrating the systematic drugging and gang rape of his then-wife, Gisèle Pélicot, over a period spanning nearly a decade from 2011.
He laced her food and drinks with sedatives, rendering her unconscious before inviting dozens of men he met online to assault her, some of whom recorded the abuse.
The case gained national attention due to the horrifying evidence, including more than 20,000 photos and videos found in Pélicot’s possession, meticulously catalogued in folders marked “abuse,” “her rapists,” and “night alone.”
In December 2024, Pélicot and 50 other men were convicted in connection with the case, following an unprecedented public trial—a demand made by Gisèle Pélicot, who has been widely hailed for her bravery in exposing her abuse in court.
A Pattern of Violence?
The possibility that Pélicot was involved in other crimes prior to 2011 has alarmed investigators, as well as victims’ rights advocates.
Authorities are now examining whether his modus operandi in the Pélicot case bears similarities to the earlier crimes.
Speaking before Pélicot’s hearing at the Nanterre cold case unit, Zavarro said he planned to cooperate with investigators but was uncertain about what specific questions he would face.
With Pélicot now back under intense scrutiny, investigators will seek to determine whether the crimes of the past may finally find resolution through the man already convicted of one of France’s most harrowing cases of sexual violence.
