Sat, Apr 14, 1956
The Vaucrose case takes place in Saint-Pons-la-Calm, a village in the Gard department in southern France. The rich Madame de Vaucrose is found strangled in her home during the night of August 23-24, 1898. Because of his cantankerous character and because she disinherited him, her son is suspected of the murder of his castrating mother. But the case is finally dismissed. In spite of that, Barthélémy Auguste Gayte, a swindler, is accused of complicity in the murder of Madame de Vaucrose. The defense tries in vain to argue that it is impossible to condemn a man for complicity in a murder whose main culprit is unknown. Gayte is preposterously sentenced to 20 years of hard labor.
Tue, Mar 15, 1966
Reconstruction of the trial which took place on 12 May 1830, at the Cour d'assises de Paris. Jean-Charles Bouquet was accused of having poisoned his second wife and of having attempted to poison his third wife, as well as of having attempted to kill his eight-month-old son, born from this third marriage. His third wife, who had initially accused Bouquet, retracted her accusation and became his best defender. At the end of the trial, Jean Charles Bouquet was acquitted.