Hi guys, it feels good to be back !
Today, I'm going to tell you about a case that is often compared with the Dupont de Ligonnès case, simply because it basically occurred in the same place. Ladies, gentlemen and everyone in between, here is the Troadec case !
The disappearance
Before talking about the case, let me introduce you to the victims, the Troadec family. They lived in Orvault, right next to Nantes.
First, there is Pascal, the father. He was 49 years old at the time of his death. He worked for an advertising sign manufacturer. He was sometimes described as having some anger issues.
His wife, Brigitte, was also 49. She worked for the government treasury in Nantes, and was described as discreet.
The eldest child, Sébastien, was 20. He was studying IT and butted heads with his father quite often.
We don't know much about Charlotte, the youngest. She was 18 and was also a student.
At the end of the day, the Troadec family had its issues, like any family, but they were trying their best. But if I'm talking about them today, it's because things took a tragic turn for them.
The family was reported missing by one of Brigitte's sisters on February 23rd, 2017.
When police officers searched the family home for the first time, they found blood in several rooms, beds without sheets, and scattered all over the place. However, all the phones and computers were missing, except for Sébastien's phone, which had a lot of blood on it. Sébastien's car was also missing.
Everyone in the area still remembered the Dupont de Ligonnès case, in which a father killed his whole family before disappearing himself (he's still wanted, by the way), so the pressure was high, and detectives started looking for Sébastien immediately. But he didn't stay the only suspect for long.
Indeed, Brigitte's family soon started talking to the police about the conflict between the Troadec family and Hubert Caouissin, Pascal's brother-in-law. Who is he ?
Hubert and his gold
Hubert Caouissin, a boilermaker from the Nantes area, was born in Brest (Finistère) in December 1970. He had a loving father who tragically died young, and a mother who he describes as tyrannical and alcoholic. In 2006, he met Lydie Troadec, Pascal's sister, who came from a strict and authoritarian family from Brest.
The couple moved in a farm in Pont-de-Buis, near Nantes, and had a son that they raised like they were in the military. The family lived isolated, to the point where the son was home schooled.
This toxic dynamic was made even worse when Hubert and Lydie had to take sick leaves, Hubert for a burnout, and Lydie for breast cancer. That's when Hubert's delusion began: he got convinced that Pascal stole gold ingots from him, and Lydie joined him in this delusion, even though she had never seen the ingots. Hubert started compiling a file about Pascal and his family that he wanted to send to the authorities. At the height of his delusion, he even believed that Pascal and Brigitte wanted to kill his son.
The investigation
Hubert and Lydie are interrogated for the first time on February 24th. Hubert is very talkative: he tells the detectives about his gold, history, and other meaningless things. Lydie, on the other hand, is as panicked as can be. Both of them declare that they haven't talked to the Troadec family since 2015. However, the investigation is going to prove that they are lying.
On March 1st, the pants, credit card and social card of Charlotte Troadec are found near Brest, 300km away from Nantes. A sniffer dog finds near all that a sliced up bed sheet and 2 books with Pascal's name on them. The next day, Sébastien's car is found on a church parking lot in Saint-Nazaire, with blood inside. Sébastien is still a suspect, but nobody believes he could have done everything by himself. Two days later, the truth starts to come out.
On March 3rd, Hubert Caouissin's DNA is found in the Troadec's house. After that, his house is searched. His computer is analyzed, and it contains:
photos of the Troadec house
Google searches about the Troadecs and the price of gold
800,000 (yes, 800,000) pornographic, pedopornographic and zoophilic images
taped and transcribed conversations with the Troadec family, obtained thanks to Lydie, who always had a tape recorder hidden in her bra when she interacted with them.
At the farm, the investigators also find a notebook where Lydie wrote about the Troadecs and their lifestyle, calling Pascal a "crook" and Brigitte a " fat dumbdumb".
In addition to all of that, Pascal's aunt Gilberte reveals to the detectives that Pascal received no less than 5 letters containing death threats, one he knew for sure was from Hubert, who all signs are pointing towards at this point.
The confession
On March 5th, the Caouissin couple is interrogated again, and this time Hubert confesses.
According to him, he went to the Troadec house on February 16th with a camera and a stethoscope to listen to conversations (like any sane man), but woke Pascal up. Pascal then came downstairs with a crowbar and threatened Hubert, who managed to take the crowbar from him. Hubert then proceeded to bash everybody's skull in. Sébastien and Charlotte were in their beds when they were killed.
Once he got done killing everyone, he went home covered in blood, and asked Lydie to help him put the bodies in Sébastien's car, which she did. Hubert then tried to get rid of the bodies by burning them in his furnace and throwing away/burying what was left.
On February 20th, the couple went back to Orvault to take some of the family's belongings. Lydie then dropped off Sébastien's car in Saint-Nazaire. According to her, she didn't alert the police because she was scared of loosing her then 8-year-old son, who Hubert confessed the murder to by the way.
Hubert went back to work after the murders, telling his coworkers that he had "fucked up real bad" without giving any details. Lydie resumed her notetaking like the Troadec family was still alive.
On March 6th, the couple is indicted and placed in pre-trial custody. Lydie is soon let back out under judicial supervision. Their son is first placed with his grandmother before being placed with child services.
On March 8th, human remains are found in a field near Hubert's farm in Pont-de-Buis.
The Troadec family (or what is left of them) is laid to rest on May 19th in Landerneau (Finistère), Brigitte's hometown.
The trial
The couple's trial started on June 22nd, 2021.
Experts point out that Hubert has narcissistic insecurities, affective deprivation dating back to his childhood, and an atypical depression that lead to a delusion altering his judgement. They also point out that Lydie followed her husband in his delusion, but her judgement was never altered.
Hubert declares that he did everything alone to protect Lydie, but the evidence says otherwise.
In July 2021, Hubert is sentenced to 30 years in prison. He doesn't appeal this sentence, but he appeals the judge's decision to award financial compensation to the victim's families. Lydie is sentenced to two years in prison, and one suspended year. She is required to get mental health care.
The gold ingots, which this whole tragedy stems from, have never been found, and their existence has never been proven. In conclusion, it is safe to say that the Troadec family died over nothing...
That is it for today, I hope you liked this case ! If you did, tell me in the comments, on Twitter (@mwacpod) or on Reddit (r/Murder_Wine_Cheese). If you can, make a little donation, it helps me a lot !
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