THE FORGOTTEN OF PONTCHARRA | 1 Jour 1 Doc | M6

Their names were Marie-Therese Bonfanti and Marie-Ange Billoud. And for almost 40 years, they were known as the forgotten women of Pontcharra.

Everyone thought these three cold cases were unsolvable.

But that was without counting on the obstinacy of the relatives of two of the victims.

On May 8 2022, 56-year-old Yves Chatain confessed to killing Marie Therese Bonfanti.

But for the families, the ordeal is far from over, for although Yves Chatain is strongly suspected of involvement in the murders of Marie Ange Billoud and Liliane Chevenement, he has still not been indicted for these crimes.

As for the murder of Marie-Therese Bonfanti, he may never be convicted… The statute of limitations applies.

One thing is certain. If the Cour de cassation upholds the Grenoble investigating magistrate’s ruling rejecting the statute of limitations exception, it would be a first in France. And this landmark ruling could well put an end to the statute of limitations in criminal cases.

A revolution at a time when more and more cold cases are being solved thanks to new technical and scientific police techniques…and the determination of victims’ families.