Isabella Mueller (crime writer)
In 1908, a case in the small French village of Montigny-lès-Vesoul caught the attention of the public and the judiciary. Rose Marie Bobillier, a local farmer’s wife, was put on trial for double murder. Her story, which reads like a dark fairy tale, begins with the first murder of her husband in 1905 and ends with the brutal crime committed against her lover, Monigoz, two years later. Rose Marie Bobillier lived in a France of that era characterised by patriarchal structures and social injustices. She was part of a rural community in which women were often reduced to the roles of wife and mother, with no opportunity to develop their independence. Her husband was an alcoholic, which threatened not only the family’s harmony but also Rose Marie’s physical safety. As Rose Marie was frequently beaten by her husband, she lived in a constant state of fear. The first murder took place under mysterious circumstances. Rose Marie claimed that her husband had died after being kicked by a horse, and the whole village believed her. Yet this first crime was to remain undiscovered for a long time, until the events surrounding her lover Monigoz came to light. On 18 May 1907, the unthinkable happened. Rose Marie reported that Monigoz, her valet and lover, had injured himself in the barn. The police rushed to the scene and found him in a critical condition with a severe head injury and a revolver nearby. Rose Marie claimed he had committed suicide, but the post-mortem revealed the truth. Monigoz had not been injured by a self-inflicted gunshot. In fact, Rose Marie had killed him with an axe whilst he was in a drunken stupor. The motives behind this murder are complex. Allegedly, the constant arguments and physical abuse at the hands of Monigoz had reached a point where Rose Marie felt she had no choice left. The decision to kill him must surely have filled her with a complex mix of fear, despair and, possibly, revenge. During the trial, it became clear that the couple were in a toxic relationship. Their mutual recriminations and constant conflict appear to have laid the groundwork for the brutal murder. Monigoz’s murder led to the revelation of the earlier crime committed against her husband. As the discussion turned to Monigoz’s injuries, it emerged that Rose Marie’s husband, too, had not died of natural causes or in a tragic accident, but had been the victim of her violence. This discovery led to the exhumation of the body, which brought shocking evidence to light: he had suffered multiple fractures to the skull and jaw, indicating that he had not simply fallen, but had also been brutally attacked. The cruel reality of her actions was now established, and Rose Marie had to face the consequences. She was not only a widow trapped in the horrific narrative of her deeds, but also a product of her time and the circumstances that had led her into this situation. The court and society were called upon to judge her guilt or innocence, whilst the background to her actions often remained in the shadows. The psychiatric expert, Dr Lalanno, ultimately concluded that Rose Marie suffered from severe mental disorders. This diagnosis places the discussion of responsibility for her actions in a different context. Was she in fact a perpetrator who rationally planned and carried out her actions, or was she a victim of her own mental illness, compelled to commit violent acts due to external circumstances? Rose Marie’s sentencing to fifteen years’ hard labour and a ten-year ban on residence leaves a bitter aftertaste. This was not merely an attempt by society to administer justice, but also a form of categorisation that women like Rose Marie often faced. In the eyes of the public, she became the ‘Black Widow’, a figure who aroused both fascination and revulsion. The story of Rose Marie Bobillier is a tragic tale that sheds light not only on the individual fate of a woman, but also on the social and psychological factors that can lead to such crimes. In an environment where women are often oppressed and abused, despair can lead to appalling acts. The case prompts us to reflect on the complex interplay of gender, power and mental health, and reminds us that behind every act there is a person with a story. At a time when women were increasingly being held accountable for their actions, the Bobillier case highlights the often-overlooked circumstances that can lead to violent assaults. Society’s response to these crimes remains a reflection of the values and norms of an era in which women were often caught between the roles of victim and perpetrator. Rose Marie’s story remains a cautionary tale of how important it is to view the individual within the context of their life circumstances.
