Marc Dutroux found guilty of murder
by funkyderek 11 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
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seeitallclearlynow
How horrifying. At least they were finally caught.
Last Updated: Thursday, 17 June, 2004, 13:10 GMT 14:10 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version Dutroux found guilty of murders
Belgian paedophile Marc Dutroux has been found guilty of abduction, rape and murder after a three-month trial. Dutroux had admitted kidnapping and raping the girlsThe 12-member jury convicted Dutroux of leading a gang that kidnapped and raped six girls in the mid-1990s, leading to the deaths of four of them.
It found him guilty of killing two of the girls - teenagers An Marchal and Eefje Lambrecks - and an accomplice.
Hundreds of witnesses, including two survivors who were rescued from Dutroux's home, testified against him.
The case has been dubbed Belgium's trial of the century.
DEFENDANTS Marc Dutroux, 47 - unemployed electrician charged with kidnap, rape, murder Michelle Martin, 44 - Dutroux's estranged wife, charged with conspiracy to kidnap Michel Nihoul, 62 - businessman charged with kidnapping Michel Lelievre, 32, charged with kidnapping, rape, drug possession Profile: Marc Dutroux Timeline: Dutroux case Dutroux, who has earlier convictions for child abduction and rape, had denied murder but admitted abducting and raping two girls found alive at his home.
He claimed he was part of a wider paedophile ring.
The jury in the town of Arlon was divided on the case of his co-accused Michel Nihoul, which means that the three-judge panel overseeing the trial will have to reach a verdict.
Verdicts on charges against Dutroux's ex-wife Michelle Martin and drug addict Michel Lelievre have yet to be announced.
Before reaching their decision, the jury had to pore over more than 400,000 pages of sometimes grisly evidence and answer 243 questions set out by the trial judge.
Sentencing will be decided next week.
Victims
One of the victims who testified was Sabine Dardenne, who was kept in a purpose-built dungeon in Dutroux's basement for 80 days.
She was repeatedly raped before being rescued by police in 1996.
Laetitia Delhez - another young woman who was incarcerated in the same basement - also gave evidence at the trial.
The bodies of the two eight-year-olds, Melissa Russo and Julie Lejeune, were discovered in the garden of a property belonging to Dutroux in August 1996. They had been repeatedly raped before dying of starvation, post-mortem reports showed.
The court heard they died while Dutroux was in prison on car-theft charges.
The bodies of Ms Marchal and Ms Lambrecks were found buried in the garden of another of his properties a short time later. Post-mortem reports showed they had been raped and beaten.
It emerged during the trial that police had searched the house three times, but failed to locate the captives.
The Dutroux case has led to mass protests in Belgium over police and legal incompetence.
The BBC's Ray Furlong, in Arlon, says many Belgians also believe other people may have been involved, including prominent figures.
He adds that its focus on the small circle of Mr Dutroux and three co-defendants has been dismissed as a farce by some victims' family members.
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badboy
I read in one newspaper that he was supposed to have been a jw.
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johnny_was_good
That rumour was spread around, but to my recollection it was his ex-wife who studied.
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Special K
Hope they have the death penalty there..
SK
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truthseeker1
What a disgusting excuse for a human being....
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johnny_was_good
Hope they have the death penalty there..
SK
No death penalty in Belgium as in the rest of the EU.
Just life in prison he will get. -
Country_Woman
Hopefully he will not set free early again...
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Crazy151drinker
Extradite him to Texas so we can kill him
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berten
>...Just life in prison he will get.
While the tax-payer pays for it all...
Printable version 
Dutroux had admitted kidnapping and raping the girls