A psychologist specialising in trauma management in Chapelle-lez-Herlaimont, Wallonia, has himself been afflicted by the trauma that he specialises in following the murder of his daughter.
Yves G. (51) says he is unable to explain the psychological processes which led to the tragedy on 24 March, when Belgian authorities informed him that his 46-year-old ex-wife Magali and his 17-year-old daughter Coline had both been killed in their home on Annecylaan, Kraainem. After repeated initial denials, Magali's partner Pierre (stepfather of Coline) confessed recently to the double murder.
"I immediately thought that Pierre was behind this event," Yves told La Dernière Heure. "I learned last week that he finally made a confession. I can understand the reason for the killing of my ex-wife, without justifying it obviously. But the murder of my daughter remains a total mystery."
Planned execution
Pierre, an RTBF sound engineer, had reportedly been planning the killing for over six months, initially searching for a hitman. He is reported to have paid the hitman and an intermediary – both of whom have since been apprehended by the Belgian authorities – up to €20,000 for the double murder.
Given the severity of the crime, Yves believes that all three individuals deserve life sentences: "My daughter was found almost decapitated... She was 17 years old with her whole life ahead of her."
On the question of Coline's relationship with her stepfather of ten years, Yves said that his daugther "appreciated" Pierre, who often helped her with school assignments and would regularly cook Coline her favourite meals. Their apparent lack of animosity leads Yves to question the motive for murdering his daughter.
"Pierre helped her with a school assignment just before she was murdered," Yves said. "He cooked Coline her favourite meal that evening, cauliflower au gratin. He then drugged them before fleeing, leaving them at the mercy of the person he had paid to kill them."
Tormented by tragedies
Though Yves is clear that the three individuals directly involved in the murder bear ultimate responsibility for his daughter's death, he cannot bring himself to avoid placing at least some of the blame on his ex-wife.
"It's a lack of prudence on her part. She put my daughter in danger. She knew that her relationship with her partner had not been going well for more than a year, and yet they continued to live together under the same roof... I blame her somewhere even though I'm sad for her."
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As well as profound grief, Yves claims to be "haunted" by his inability to comprehend what could have led Pierre to kill Coline.
"I have already experienced the loss of my son, who died of an illness," Yves said. "I have now lost my daughter. I know grief. But this question still haunts me: why did my daughter have to die at 17?"
