LOUISE, DEATH AROUND THE CORNER | Enquêtes criminelles | W9

“Our daughter, our little princess, has been taken from us. We have lived and are living through the worst tragedy that any parent can experience, the loss of one’s beloved child.” Louise’s parents never thought they’d ever have to utter these heartbreaking words. Sadly, their daughter met her demise far too soon.

It should have been an ordinary journey. Just a schoolgirl on her way home. But on February 7, 11-year-old Louise never arrived at her parents’ house. It was 1.50pm when she left her school in Épinay-sur-Orge, Essonne. Her family, worried that she had not returned home, quickly reported her missing. The case was immediately taken seriously, and major resources were deployed to find the young girl. Then, at 1:50 am, the final blow fell. Louise’s body was found lifeless in the Bois des Templiers, just a few hundred meters from her home. She had been stabbed several times.

Video surveillance cameras soon reveal a suspect: a young man in a black jacket who seems to be following the schoolgirl. The police are relentless in their pursuit of this individual. Several suspects are arrested and taken into custody. The media went into overdrive… But in the end, it was a young neighbor who became the focus of the investigation. Owen Legrand, 23, was recognized on CCTV footage by several local residents.

He was taken into custody with his girlfriend and her parents, who were suspected of not having reported him. And after 30 hours of questioning, confronted with damning DNA results, he broke down and confessed. He explained that, in anger after an altercation over an online video game, he had gone out “racketing to calm down”. It was then that he came across young Louise and lured her into the park under false pretences. But when the schoolgirl realized what was going on, she started screaming. Panic-stricken, Owen allegedly stabbed her several times to silence her.

On February 12, Owen Legrand was charged with murder and remanded in custody. But several questions remain. What went through this young man’s mind? Who is he really?

One thing is certain: this case has once again provoked a wave of emotion and indignation across the country.