Marie-Thérèse Bonfanti Murder: Darmanin & Imprescriptibility of Crimes

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France’s Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin, stated on Sunday he supports abolishing statutes of limitations for violent crimes, following a ruling that the 1986 murder of Marie-Thérèse Bonfanti can no longer be prosecuted.

“Personally,” Darmanin declared on LCI, “I am in favor of putting an end to the statute of limitations for blood crimes” – encompassing assassinations, murders, and homicides – prompted by the Bonfanti case, where the Court of Cassation recently upheld the expiration of the legal timeframe for prosecution.

Marie-thérèse Bonfanti, 25, vanished on May 22, 1986, while delivering newspapers in Isère. Yves Chatain,a local resident,confessed in 2022 to strangling her,but the case is now closed due to the statute of limitations.

Did you know? – France, like many countries, implements statutes of limitations to ensure fairness and reliability in legal proceedings, recognizing memories fade and evidence can be lost over time.

A Complex Legal Issue

The Court of Cassation determined the statute of limitations began running instantly after Bonfanti’s disappearance, finding “no insurmountable obstacle likely to suspend the running of the limitation period.”

The statute of limitations for crimes was previously ten years, extended to 20 years in 2017. This means that after this period, perpetrators can no longer face prosecution.

Acknowledging this is a “very tough question” with “civilizational debates” at its core, the Minister of Justice expressed a desire to “return to the prescription” issue, particularly considering “technologies which will help us tomorrow and the day after tomorrow to go back in time more quickly, further back in time.”

Pro tip – Statutes of limitations aren’t absolute. Certain events,like a perpetrator fleeing the country,can sometimes pause or “toll” the clock,delaying the expiration date.

Darmanin, who already advocates for removing statutes of limitations on crimes against minors, clarified he doesn’t intend to broadly revisit all limitation periods.

The statute of limitations currently extends to 30 years for offenses like terrorism and organized drug trafficking. it also applies for 30 years after a victim of childhood rape reaches the age of majority.

Reader question – Do you think abolishing statutes of limitations for violent crimes would truly deliver justice, or could it lead to unfair prosecutions based on old, possibly unreliable evidence?

France Drops prosecution in 1986 Cold Case, Sparks Debate over Statute of Limitations

Paris, france – The 1986 murder of Marie-Thérèse Bonfanti, a 25-year-old newspaper delivery woman, has been officially closed after the Court of Cassation ruled the statute of limitations had expired, preventing any further prosecution of her confessed killer, Yves Chatain. The decision has ignited a national debate, prompting France’s Minister of Justice, Gérald darmanin, to advocate for the abolition of statutes of limitations for violent crimes.

what Happened? Marie-Thérèse Bonfanti disappeared on May 22, 1986, in Isère, France. The case remained