Danièle Bernard case: Nanterre cold case unit reopens murder of nurse in Auxerre in 1989
The cold case unit in Nanterre has launched an appeal for witnesses in the murder case of Danièle Bernard, a 39-year-old nurse killed with a poker at her home in Auxerre on 7 July 1989.
Danièle Bernard case: Nanterre cold case unit reopens murder of nurse in Auxerre in 1989
Investigators at the Nanterre cold case unit have reopened a criminal case dating back to 1989. An appeal for witnesses was issued at the end of May concerning the death of Danièle Bernard, a 39-year-old healthcare professional, found dead in her home in Auxerre, in the Yonne department, on 7 July of that year.
The victim had succumbed to blows from a poker. The file had been closed eleven years later, in 2000, due to a lack of evidence to identify the perpetrator or perpetrators. Since then, the investigation had been dormant in the archives.
Last year, officers from the cold case unit ordered new investigations in Auxerre. Individuals were interviewed. These steps made it possible to advance the investigation. According to the family's legal representative, Didier Seban, a three-dimensional reconstruction of the crime scene was carried out. It highlighted "the extreme violence of the facts" and led to considering "seriously the presence of two individuals that day".
The defence lawyer also denounced errors in the initial handling of the file. "The exhibits were destroyed", he lamented, citing notably "a screwdriver and a poker seized from the victim's home". For Me Seban, "justice failed. It abandoned the investigation. The necessary attention was not given to the murder of this woman".
The appeal for witnesses particularly targets former neighbours, those who may have moved away since then, or anyone who was near Danièle Bernard's home and knew her. "The Bernard family does not despair, even after so many years, that someone who thought their testimony was of no importance will come forward", the lawyer affirmed.
Source: franceinfo
Source: France Info