French Mass Murderer Leaps to Death From Cell

Reuters | 3/28/02

[kattracks]

PARIS (Reuters) - Richard Durn, held by police for shooting dead eight councilors in a Paris suburb, committed suicide on Thursday by leaping from a window while in custody, French police said.

He jumped to his death from a window in the main police detention center on the Ile de la Cite, the island in the center of Paris, where he had been taken for questioning before he was due to face a judge on Thursday afternoon.

"He killed himself while in police custody," a police spokesman said.

Durn, 33, calmly gunned down the eight municipal councilors and wounded another 19 people early on Wednesday morning in the western Paris suburb of Nanterre, the worst mass killing in France in years.

Police said Durn had twice tried to commit suicide before the killings. When he was overpowered after the Nanterre shooting, he cried out, "Kill me, kill me."

Police said Durn admitted during questioning that he planned to kill himself after gunning down the councilors.

"He said during questioning he went there to end his life but that he did not want to die anonymously," one police source said.

[BullDog108]

I wonder if this miscreant received a little push to help him in his fight?

[Madame Dufarge]

He tripped.

[mewzilla]

Well, isn't this convenient.

[What Is Ain't]

Ah ha! So this is the French version of the death penalty. Nice and neat. Well, not so neat.

[toddst]

Well, isn't this convenient.

Wonder how many officers it took to help him fall out the window? But then again the French don't believe in the death penalty. Yeah, right.

[wretchard]

Let's see: the French cops have a mass murder suspect yelling that he wants to die and they leave him unrestrained near an open fourth floor window.

Perhaps they wish to withhold further cooperation with American authorities who want the death penalty for the WTC hijacker on the grounds that we are too stupid if we need it.

Simplisme.

[fnord]

I like their death penalty better than ours

[mewzilla]

I'm not sure that the Froggies were carrying out an unofficial death sentence. They might have just wanted to avoid the trial. Or someone else may have not wanted this guy to talk.

If any or all is true, methinks the French have got themselves two major problems; and the second (as usual) is the way they're not dealing with the first.

[RippleFire]

It certainly saves on the court costs! Also cuts down on the blather from talking hairdos on TV, although they always find something to talk about.

[alisasny]

How convenient!! Guess this helps the French not have to debate the death penalty over this case. Strange to say the least.

[CasearianDaoist]

Do you think that they are trying to tell us something?

[Semper Paratus]

Looks like the french suicide watch is as effective as the Maginot Line.

[Prodigal Son]

They could have at least done it from the top of the Eiffel Tower- gotta keep those tourists entertained don't you know. Or maybe from one of the towers of Notre Dame would also have made a good show. You could bet on how high he would bounce.

[FITZ]

Sounds like a pretty good idea.

[gaspar]

Defenstration?

[John W]

From the MSNBC article:

The massacre in the western Paris suburb prompted debate over a why a man with a troubled past was licensed to carry handguns, despite strict French gun-control laws.

[sneakypete]

I think we can all understand him wanting to kill several judges,but shooting the 19 innocent people was inexcuseable.

[vetvetdoug]

If this was in the US one would expect a "wrongful death suit" against the police that were supposed to be watching the miscreant. If he had been black, Sharpton, Jackson, et al would be on the scene.