Charles-Olivier Adde was sentenced to 18 years in prison by the Assize Court of Hérault. He had killed his partner, Samantha, and their granddaughter, Ombeline, on July 16, 2019 in Les Rives.
The couple had concocted this disastrous scenario in order to escape social services. They were watching them, alerted by the state of malnutrition of their 20-month-old daughter, who is only breastfed. They had considered fleeing to New Zealand, before changing their minds and opting for a more radical choice.
Mother and daughter shot multiple times in the head
The couple ultimately planned to kill their three children and kill themselves. As expected, the father had murdered his companion with several bullets in the head in their house in Rives, a village located in the hinterland of Hérault. Before doing the same with her 20-month-old daughter. Then he went to Brittany to pick up his two sons on vacation with their grandparents. The nine-hour drive had finally prompted him to abandon the macabre project.
Arrived at his home, he had contacted his mother to warn her of the two murders and of his desire to commit suicide. She then called the gendarmes, who intervened before he took action.
“A fair verdict” for the defense
During his trial in Montpellier, Charles-Olivier Adde explained “having evolved”. While the Advocate General had requested 25 years in prison, the jurors retained the alteration of discernment. Jean-Marc Darrigade, the defense lawyer, spoke of “a fair verdict”, which “takes into account the gravity” of the crimes committed.