Roger Girerd was a French

mass murder Mass murder is the violent crime of murder, killing a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. A mass murder typically occurs in a single location where one or more ...

er who killed 10 members of his family at a farm in

Charvieu-Chavagneux Charvieu-Chavagneux () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. The Bourbre forms most of the commune's eastern border. Population Personalities * Jean Djorkaeff, professional football player * Roger Girerd, mass murde ...

on May 20, 1965, before committing suicide. The crime was reported to be the deadliest mass murder by a single person in French history at that time,Angst vor dem Atomkrieg, ''

Hamburger Abendblatt ''Hamburger Abendblatt'' () is a German daily newspaper in Hamburg belonging to the Funke Mediengruppe, publishing Monday to Saturday. The paper focuses on news in Hamburg and its surrounds, and produces regional supplements with news from Norde ...

'' (May 22, 1965) even though 14 people were killed by Abd el Maleck in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

on June 10, 1945.

Life

Girerd was said to have worked at a

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

from morning to evening, while his mother also urged him to do the hardest labour on the farm. Due to being overworked he had been in a mental institution in

Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...

for a few months in 1959. In the months prior to the murders, he showed signs of fatigue and uttered fears of a coming nuclear war, being especially worried about the fate of his children.Eine ganze Familie wurde ausgelöscht, ''

'' (May 21, 1965)

Murders

According to reports, the 34-year-old stabbed his wife, Jeannette, his six children, aged 6 months to 10 years, as well as a 16 months-old niece, during the night from May 19 to May 20. The bodies of Jeannette, four of his children, and his niece were found the next day lying in the kitchen, covered with sheets, while the two remaining children were discovered on the first floor. At approximately 8:30 a.m., a witness heard two shots from the farm, and it was suspected that Girerd then killed his 58-year-old mother and his 23-year-old brother in an annex. Two more shots were heard at about 10 a.m., when Girerd killed his dog and himself. In a suicide note, Girerd stated he was sick of living in poverty and watching his family living in need, writing: :"I have enough. I have to do something. I don't want my children to have to live the way I have to. I want everyone to live in peace. ... I am leaving money for the funeral and to pay my debts."Frenchman kills 10 others, self, ''

Wisconsin State Journal The ''Wisconsin State Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by Lee Enterprises. The newspaper, the second largest in Wisconsin, is primarily distributed in a 19 county region in south-central Wisconsin. As of Septembe ...

'' (May 21, 1965)

Victims

*Jeannette Girerd, 34, Roger Girerd's wife *Eliane Girerd, 10, his daughter *Joceline Girerd, 8, his daughter *Bernard Girerd, 7, his son *Yves Girerd, 4, his son *Daniel Girerd, 2, his son *Pierre Girerd, 6 months, his son *Sylviane Gonnet, 16 months, his niece *Angèle Girerd, 58, his mother *Robert Girerd, 23, his brother

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Girerd, Roger 1930s births 1965 suicides French mass murderers French murderers of children Mass murder in 1965 People from Isère Suicides by firearm in France