Calls for French serial killer's ex-wife to stand trial over murder of Gloucestershire woman

20 year-old Joanna Parrish was killed near Burgandy in 1990.

Author: Harry LongPublished 12th May 2023

French prosecutors are calling for a woman to stand trial in connection with the historic murder of a Gloucestershire woman.

Joanna Parrish, who was studying at Leeds University and was from the Forest of Dean, was 20 when she was killed near Burgandy in 1990 whilst on a foreign exchange.

74 year old Monique Olivier was married to Michel Fourniret a man nicknamed "The Ogre of Ardennes."

He's thought to have carried out a terrifying spree in the late 80s and early 90s - killing 12 people, including Joanna Parrish.

Fourniret confessed to Joanna's murder in 2018 - he'd dumped her body near a river in the city of Auxerre.

He died in 2021 before he was able to stand trial - leaving his ex-wife the only living suspect in Joanna's case.

She's now been charged with complicity in his crimes after a Netflix documentary shone new light on the alleged role she played in helping him kidnap, rape and kill young women.

Olivier is already serving a life sentence in connection with 4 of her ex-husband's murders.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.