Florence Rey
Encyclopedia
Florence Rey was involved in a shoot-out in central Paris
on 4 October 1994 alongside her boyfriend Audry Maupin, (born 4 October 1972) following a high speed car chase. The incident caused the deaths of five people — three policemen, a taxi driver, and Maupin.
. At the time of the incident they were living together in a squat in an abandoned bourgeoise house in Nanterre. The pair were already under observation by the Renseignements Généraux, the French secret police, prior to the incident due to their involvement with an underground political group. When the police searched their squat after the killings they found revolutionary and anarchist literature, such as The Society Of The Spectacle
by Guy Debord
. They found the couple's writings, which echoed surrealism, radicalism and situationism.
named Amadou Dialoo. A passenger, Georges Monnier, was already on board and they threatened them with their arms, ordering the chauffeur to drive to the place de la République
.
Normally the incident would have stopped there but ten minutes after hijacking the taxi, on arriving at the place de la République, Dialoo noticed a police patrol car with three officers returning to their base in the 11th arrondissement after finishing their duty. Dialoo panicked and rammed the patrol car at full speed, badly injuring one of the officers, Regis D. The two other officers jumped out and Rey and Maupin opened fire, killing the two officers, Laurent Gerard and Thierry Memard. During the gunfight Maupin shot Dialoo but Monnier had escaped from the taxi and was lying on the ground.
The couple then hijacked a Renault super cinq driven by Jacky Bensimon and ordered him to drive to the Bois de Vincennes
. A chase began and Maupin fired through the rear window of the Renault killing a motorcycle patrolman, Guy Jacob. On arrival at Vincennes
there was a road block so Maupin ordered Bensimon not to stop or he would kill him. 100 metres before the road block Bensimon pulled the hand brake which caused the car to spin three times. Bensimon was thrown out which probably saved his life. The police opened fire on the Renault, fatally wounding Maupin who died at 10pm the following evening at the Kremlin-Bicêtre hospital. Before being arrested Florence Rey kissed Maupin without showing any emotion then refused to discuss the incident throughout her interrogation.
On the 30 September 1998, the advocate general asked the court to sentence Florence to 30 years. After her lawyers had delivered their plea she was given the final opportunity to speak but she chose to remain silent. After five hours of deliberation the jury found her guilty as an accomplice and she was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. She served her sentence in the Maison d'Arrêt des Femmes in Rennes
. She became somewhat of a heroine amongst disaffected Parisian youth, for example where the writer Patrick Besson
wrote Sonnet pour Florence Rey, and the band The Kills
wrote a song dedicated to her. But unlike other notorious criminals who have earned money with their memoires, she still remains silent and refuses the interviews.
After benefiting from a remission of sentence Florence Rey was discreetly liberated on the 3 May 2009. During her incarceration she had received frequent visits from her mother and studied history and geography. She had also worked as a waitress in the prison refectory.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on 4 October 1994 alongside her boyfriend Audry Maupin, (born 4 October 1972) following a high speed car chase. The incident caused the deaths of five people — three policemen, a taxi driver, and Maupin.
Background
Florence Rey was a 19 year old student studying philosophy at the Science-Po and Audry Maupin was a 22 year old drop-out from the faculty of medicine at NanterreNanterre
Nanterre is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located west of the center of Paris.Nanterre is the capital of the Hauts-de-Seine department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Nanterre....
. At the time of the incident they were living together in a squat in an abandoned bourgeoise house in Nanterre. The pair were already under observation by the Renseignements Généraux, the French secret police, prior to the incident due to their involvement with an underground political group. When the police searched their squat after the killings they found revolutionary and anarchist literature, such as The Society Of The Spectacle
The Society of the Spectacle
The Society of the Spectacle is a work of philosophy and critical theory by Guy Debord. It was first published in 1967 in France.-Book structure:...
by Guy Debord
Guy Debord
Guy Ernest Debord was a French Marxist theorist, writer, filmmaker, member of the Letterist International, founder of a Letterist faction, and founding member of the Situationist International . He was also briefly a member of Socialisme ou Barbarie.-Early Life:Guy Debord was born in Paris in 1931...
. They found the couple's writings, which echoed surrealism, radicalism and situationism.
4 October 1994
The incident began at 9.25pm, at the Porte de Pantin car pound. The pair climbed the perimeter fence with the intention of stealing the service firearms of the two policemen on night duty inside and neutralizing them with their own handcuffs. They discovered that the two officers did not carry handcuffs so they sprayed them with tear gas before making their escape. Outside they boarded a taxi waiting at a red light driven by an African chauffeur from GuinéeGuinee
In Vodou, Guinee is the spirit world, a reference to the African homeland that slaves hoped their souls might be returned to after death....
named Amadou Dialoo. A passenger, Georges Monnier, was already on board and they threatened them with their arms, ordering the chauffeur to drive to the place de la République
Place de la République
The Place de la République is a square in Paris, located on the border between the 3rd, 10th and 11th arrondissements. It is named after the French Republic. The Métro station of République lies beneath the square.-History:...
.
Normally the incident would have stopped there but ten minutes after hijacking the taxi, on arriving at the place de la République, Dialoo noticed a police patrol car with three officers returning to their base in the 11th arrondissement after finishing their duty. Dialoo panicked and rammed the patrol car at full speed, badly injuring one of the officers, Regis D. The two other officers jumped out and Rey and Maupin opened fire, killing the two officers, Laurent Gerard and Thierry Memard. During the gunfight Maupin shot Dialoo but Monnier had escaped from the taxi and was lying on the ground.
The couple then hijacked a Renault super cinq driven by Jacky Bensimon and ordered him to drive to the Bois de Vincennes
Bois de Vincennes
The Bois de Vincennes is a park in the English landscape manner to the east of Paris. The park is named after the nearby town of Vincennes....
. A chase began and Maupin fired through the rear window of the Renault killing a motorcycle patrolman, Guy Jacob. On arrival at Vincennes
Vincennes
Vincennes is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe.-History:...
there was a road block so Maupin ordered Bensimon not to stop or he would kill him. 100 metres before the road block Bensimon pulled the hand brake which caused the car to spin three times. Bensimon was thrown out which probably saved his life. The police opened fire on the Renault, fatally wounding Maupin who died at 10pm the following evening at the Kremlin-Bicêtre hospital. Before being arrested Florence Rey kissed Maupin without showing any emotion then refused to discuss the incident throughout her interrogation.
Aftermath
She was held in preventive detention at the Maison d'Arrêt des Femmes at Fleury Merogis waiting trial where she was occupied with reading and took part in amateur theatricals. She never discussed the incident with anyone, including her lawyers. Her trial began on the 17 September 1998, at the assise court in the Palais de Justice, Paris. She was defended by two lawyers, Maître Olivia Cligman and Maître Henri Leclerc. Throughout her trial she continued to show no emotion and Maître Cligman even rebuked her in court for her indifference. Ten witnesses were called but they all gave different versions of the event. The decision as to if she was a murderer or an accomplice rested on ballistic evidence which proved that Maupin fired all of the fatal shots.On the 30 September 1998, the advocate general asked the court to sentence Florence to 30 years. After her lawyers had delivered their plea she was given the final opportunity to speak but she chose to remain silent. After five hours of deliberation the jury found her guilty as an accomplice and she was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. She served her sentence in the Maison d'Arrêt des Femmes in Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
. She became somewhat of a heroine amongst disaffected Parisian youth, for example where the writer Patrick Besson
Patrick Besson
-Life:Besson was born of a Russian father and a Croatian mother . He published his first novel, Early Mornings Of Love, in 1974, aged 17.A Communist sympathizer, Besson is a literary chronicler with the newspaper L'Humanité...
wrote Sonnet pour Florence Rey, and the band The Kills
The Kills
The Kills is a rock band formed by American singer Alison Mosshart and British guitarist Jamie Hince . Their first three albums, Keep On Your Mean Side, No Wow, and Midnight Boom, have garnered much critical praise...
wrote a song dedicated to her. But unlike other notorious criminals who have earned money with their memoires, she still remains silent and refuses the interviews.
After benefiting from a remission of sentence Florence Rey was discreetly liberated on the 3 May 2009. During her incarceration she had received frequent visits from her mother and studied history and geography. She had also worked as a waitress in the prison refectory.