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Solved case · 1989
Also known as Affaire des paras de Francazal
The short answer
Four absent-without-leave paratroopers killed three women and a conservation officer near the Toulouse-Francazal Air Base in 1989 and were convicted in 1991.
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Suggest coverage for Francazal murdersThe case file
Between May and July 1989, four absent-without-leave paratroopers from the 101 Toulouse-Francazal Air Base killed three women and a conservation officer in and around Toulouse, France. The case became known in French as the "Affaire des paras de Francazal." All four men were later found guilty and received varying terms of imprisonment.
The first known victim, 23-year-old Isabelle Rabou, disappeared near Toulouse on the evening of 30 May 1989 after spending time with friends. Her parents and friends reported her missing the following morning. Investigators soon found a burned car in a field near the Francazal Air Base and identified it as Rabou's, but early leads did not advance. Because ordinary law-enforcement officers could not enter the military base, the gendarmerie reviewed the files of the paratroopers stationed there without finding incriminating evidence. On 3 July 1989, a farmer discovered Rabou's body buried in a field about twenty kilometres from Toulouse; an autopsy determined that she had been sexually assaulted and beaten to death.
On 13 July 1989, a second burned vehicle was found near Francazal, containing the bodies of two more victims, later identified as 17-year-old Noria Boussedra and 12-year-old Luisa De Azevedo. Both had been raped and beaten. Investigators concluded the three killings were linked to personnel at the base and learned that two conscripts, Philippe Siauve and Thierry El Borgi, both 20, had recently deserted; arrest warrants were issued.
On 18 July 1989, 62-year-old conservation officer Marcel Douzet was killed at Saint-Romain-de-Jalionas after entering woodland to investigate a report. A large search recovered his rifle in a cornfield and later his body in the forest. Siauve and El Borgi, both natives of the area, were located in Isere, fled, and were then arrested and taken to Cremieu, where they admitted killing Douzet. According to their account, that night they had also fired at groups of people whom they targeted on racist grounds, without causing fatalities.
On 20 July 1989, the two men were extradited to Toulouse and questioned about the women's deaths, where they named two further accomplices, Thierry Jaouen and Franck Feuerstein, who subsequently confessed. All four were indicted for four homicides, along with kidnapping, rape and torture, and were imprisoned pending trial.
The trial opened at the Toulouse Assizes Court on 15 April 1991, where the defendants faced 130 charges. All four received life imprisonment, with parole eligibility set at 30 years for Siauve and El Borgi, 15 years for Jaouen and 13 years for Feuerstein. Thierry Jaouen was granted supervised parole at the end of October 2008.
7 dated entries · 1989–2008
Isabelle Rabou disappeared near Toulouse after an evening with friends.
Rabou's body was found buried in a field about twenty kilometres from Toulouse; an autopsy established sexual assault and a fatal beating.
Two more victims, Noria Boussedra and Luisa De Azevedo, were found in a burned vehicle near the Francazal Air Base.
Conservation officer Marcel Douzet was killed at Saint-Romain-de-Jalionas.
Two arrested suspects were extradited to Toulouse and named two further accomplices.
The four defendants' trial opened at the Toulouse Assizes Court.
Thierry Jaouen was granted supervised parole.
8 named in this file
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
23-year-old who disappeared near Toulouse on 30 May 1989; her body was found on 3 July 1989 and an autopsy established sexual assault and a fatal beating.[3]
12-year-old found dead alongside Noria Boussedra on 13 July 1989.[3]
62-year-old conservation officer killed at Saint-Romain-de-Jalionas on 18 July 1989.[3]
17-year-old found dead in a burned vehicle near the Francazal Air Base on 13 July 1989.[3]
Convicted at the Toulouse Assizes Court and sentenced to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 13 years.[3]
AWOL paratrooper convicted at the Toulouse Assizes Court and sentenced to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 30 years.[3]
AWOL paratrooper convicted at the Toulouse Assizes Court and sentenced to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 30 years.[3]
Convicted at the Toulouse Assizes Court and sentenced to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 15 years; granted supervised parole at the end of October 2008.[3]
From the record
3 cited
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
PressLe Nouvel ObservateurAccessed Jul 5, 2026
PressLe SoirAccessed Jul 5, 2026
EncyclopedicWikipediaAccessed Jul 5, 2026
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