Man on trial for murdering 3 women, blaming them for ruined career

A trial has commenced in France for Gabriel Fortin, a 48-year-old man accused of murdering three women he believed were responsible for ruining his career. Fortin was apprehended in 2021 in Valence, where two human resources managers who had played a part in his dismissal years prior were shot and killed. The third victim was employed at a job centre. Additionally, Fortin is charged with the attempted murder of another manager. He has remained silent throughout the investigation.

The first incident occurred on January 26, 2021, in eastern France’s Alsace region. Estelle Luce, a human resources manager, was fatally shot in the head in her company’s car park after work. That same evening, about 50km away, another HR manager, Bertrand Meichel, was shot at his residence by a man pretending to be a pizza delivery person. Meichel survived the attack.

Two days later, 500km to the south, a man wearing a facemask and carrying a white plastic bag entered the Valence local job centre and shot and killed benefits director Patricia Pasquion. Shortly after, another HR manager, Géraldine Caclin, was murdered at an environmental services company near Valence.

The gunman’s car number plate led authorities to Fortin, who was immediately linked to Caclin’s murder. In 2009, Caclin had overseen dismissal proceedings against Fortin following an unsuccessful trial period. He subsequently registered with the Valence job centre, and his unemployment benefits eventually expired. Although Pasquion never interacted with him, police believe he harboured resentment towards the job centre staff.

Investigators swiftly connected Fortin to the earlier shootings involving Luce and Meichel, who had participated in his dismissal from a different company in 2006, over 14 years prior. Police spent over two years examining data on Fortin’s computer, uncovering extensive evidence of his longstanding bitterness and efforts to track his eventual victims’ movements.

Gabriel Fortin appeared in court in Valence on Tuesday, facing charges of three murders and one count of attempted murder. In an interview with France’s Europe 1 radio prior to the trial, Pasquion’s sister stated: “He was armed and facing defenceless women… He never tried to speak or listen. He just killed. It’s pure cowardice.”