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Francazal murders

SOLVED1989101 Toulouse-Francazal Air Base area, near Toulouse, France3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

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.

Key facts

Victims
Marcel Douzet, Luisa De Azevedo, Noria Boussedra, Isabelle Rabou
Date
1989
Location
101 Toulouse-Francazal Air Base area, near Toulouse, France
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1989-05-30

    Isabelle Rabou disappeared near Toulouse after an evening with friends.

  2. 1989-07-03

    Rabou's body was found buried in a field about twenty kilometres from Toulouse; an autopsy established sexual assault and a fatal beating.

  3. 1989-07-13

    Two more victims, Noria Boussedra and Luisa De Azevedo, were found in a burned vehicle near the Francazal Air Base.

  4. 1989-07-18

    Conservation officer Marcel Douzet was killed at Saint-Romain-de-Jalionas.

  5. 1989-07-20

    Two arrested suspects were extradited to Toulouse and named two further accomplices.

  6. 1991-04-15

    The four defendants' trial opened at the Toulouse Assizes Court.

  7. 2008-10

    Thierry Jaouen was granted supervised parole.

Best coverage

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People

  • Thierry El Borgi

    CONVICTED

    AWOL paratrooper convicted at the Toulouse Assizes Court and sentenced to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 30 years.

  • Marcel Douzet

    VICTIM

    62-year-old conservation officer killed at Saint-Romain-de-Jalionas on 18 July 1989.

  • Thierry Jaouen

    CONVICTED

    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.

  • Franck Feuerstein

    CONVICTED

    Convicted at the Toulouse Assizes Court and sentenced to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 13 years.

  • Luisa De Azevedo

    VICTIM

    12-year-old found dead alongside Noria Boussedra on 13 July 1989.

  • Noria Boussedra

    VICTIM

    17-year-old found dead in a burned vehicle near the Francazal Air Base on 13 July 1989.

  • Isabelle Rabou

    VICTIM

    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.

  • Philippe Siauve

    CONVICTED

    AWOL paratrooper convicted at the Toulouse Assizes Court and sentenced to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 30 years.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

101 Toulouse-Francazal Air Base area, near Toulouse, France

43.5453, 1.3672

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
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.
Where did the murders happen?
101 Toulouse-Francazal Air Base area, near Toulouse, France.
Who was convicted?
Thierry El Borgi (AWOL paratrooper convicted at the Toulouse Assizes Court and sentenced to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 30 years.), Thierry Jaouen (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.), Franck Feuerstein (Convicted at the Toulouse Assizes Court and sentenced to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 13 years.), and Philippe Siauve (AWOL paratrooper convicted at the Toulouse Assizes Court and sentenced to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 30 years.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.
More cases in France

Sources

  1. Francazal murderswikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-05
  2. Contemporaneous coverage of the Francazal case (Le Nouvel Observateur archive, 3 August 1989)news · Le Nouvel Observateur · 2026-07-05
  3. Contemporaneous trial coverage of the Francazal case (Le Soir archive, 20 April 1991)news · Le Soir · 2026-07-05

Last verified JUL 2026