Jean-Claude Romand
Encyclopedia
Jean-Claude Romand is a French
impostor
and murder
er who pretended to be a medical doctor. He killed his family when he was about to be exposed.
and grew up in the village Clairvaux-les-Lacs
in the département of Jura. He studied at the lycée of Lons-le-Saunier until his baccalauréat
. In 1971, he registered at the classes préparatoires
of Lycée du Parc
in Lyon
, but dropped out after one semester. Afterwards he enrolled as a medical student.
Romand fooled his family and friends for 18 years; they thought he was a successful medical professional and researcher in the World Health Organization
. He managed to give an impression that he had researched arteriosclerosis
and he had contacts with political figures.
In reality, he spent his days wandering and used free information services of the local WHO building. He lived close by in Prévessin-Moëns
, France. Periodically he left for a supposed work trip but only traveled to Geneva Cointrin international airport
and spent a couple of days in a hotel room there, studying medical journals and a travel guide about Switzerland, the country where everyone supposed he worked. Romand lived off the money his wife and he had made by selling an apartment, from his wife's salary and from sums of money which were given to him by various relatives, who relied on his assurances that he was investing the money in various imaginary hedge fund
s and foreign ventures.
That night, feeling the only thing left to do was kill, he bashed his wife to death on their double bed with a rolling pin. He left her body until the morning, sleeping as normal.
The next morning, he woke his children, had breakfast, and watched cartoons. He put them to bed that night, and once they had fallen asleep, shot them both in the head.
After these killings, the only people who could expose him were his parents, who were both so proud of their 'successful' son, and his ex-mistress, who wanted back 900,000 Fr that she had given him as a favor.
The next morning, Romand traveled across the border to his parents' house, where he joined them for a meal. Immediately after the meal he repeatedly shot them both and the family dog.
That night he picked up his ex-mistress, telling her he was treating her to a romantic meal for two. Pretending the car had broken down, he made her exit the car, and as she did so he attempted to strangle her with a cord and sprayed tear gas into her face. After she fought back, he apologized and drove her back to her home before returning to his family home, which still contained the bodies of his dead wife and children.
He sat and watched TV before he poured petrol around the house, set it alight and took an overdose of sleeping pills to create the appearance of an intended suicide. Whether this attempt was genuine is doubtful, since the pills he took were long expired, and he had access to more effective barbiturates; additionally, the manner the fire was set and the timing of his taking the pills made his rescue inevitable. He was rescued by local firefighters who were alerted by the road cleaners at 4 o'clock the next morning.
He survived the blaze, but refused to talk to police during subsequent questioning; it was initially believed that he was too traumatized to speak.
; he will be eligible for parole in 2015. Romand is reputed to suffer from Narcissistic personality disorder
.
entered into correspondence with imprisoned Romand to write a book, published in 2000, L'Adversaire (The Adversary), based on the case. Nicole Garcia
directed a movie, L'Adversaire
(2002), based on the book; actor Daniel Auteuil
played the part of Romand (renamed Jean-Marc Faure in the film). Two other movies were loosely based on Romand's life: the French L'Emploi du temps
(2001) (English title: Time Out) and the Spanish La Vida de nadie (English title: Nobody's Life). Romand's deception also formed the basis of a 2005 episode of the BBC
crime drama Waking The Dead
. The episode 16 (season 1) "Phantom"
of Law & Order: Criminal Intent
is also constructed around this story.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
impostor
Impostor
An impostor or imposter is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but just as often for purposes of espionage or law enforcement....
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
er who pretended to be a medical doctor. He killed his family when he was about to be exposed.
Early life
Jean-Claude Romand was born in Lons-le-SaunierLons-le-Saunier
Lons-le-Saunier is a commune and capital of the Jura department in eastern France.-Geography:The town is in the heart of the Revermont region, at the foot of the "premier plateau" of the Jura massif...
and grew up in the village Clairvaux-les-Lacs
Clairvaux-les-Lacs
Clairvaux-les-Lacs is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.-World heritage site:It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwelling settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps UNESCO World Heritage Site.-References:*...
in the département of Jura. He studied at the lycée of Lons-le-Saunier until his baccalauréat
Baccalauréat
The baccalauréat , often known in France colloquially as le bac, is an academic qualification which French and international students take at the end of the lycée . It was introduced by Napoleon I in 1808. It is the main diploma required to pursue university studies...
. In 1971, he registered at the classes préparatoires
Classe Préparatoire aux Grandes Écoles
The classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles , commonly called classes prépas or prépas, are part of the French post-secondary education system. They consist in two very selective years , acting as a prep course with the main goal of training undergraduate students for enrolment in one of the...
of Lycée du Parc
Lycée du Parc
The Lycée du Parc is a public secondary school located in the sixth arrondissement of Lyon, France. Its name comes from the Parc de la Tête d'Or, one of Europe's largest urban parks, which is situated nearby....
in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, but dropped out after one semester. Afterwards he enrolled as a medical student.
The deception
The deception began with a simple lie: Romand claimed that he had passed a second-year medical examination that he did not take. He therefore never qualified as a doctor, a fact unknown to his peers.Romand fooled his family and friends for 18 years; they thought he was a successful medical professional and researcher in the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
. He managed to give an impression that he had researched arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis refers to a stiffening of arteries.Arteriosclerosis is a general term describing any hardening of medium or large arteries It should not be confused with "arteriolosclerosis" or "atherosclerosis".Also known by the name "myoconditis" which is...
and he had contacts with political figures.
In reality, he spent his days wandering and used free information services of the local WHO building. He lived close by in Prévessin-Moëns
Prévessin-Moëns
Prévessin-Moëns is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
, France. Periodically he left for a supposed work trip but only traveled to Geneva Cointrin international airport
Geneva Cointrin International Airport
Geneva International Airport , commonly known as Cointrin Airport, is an airport serving Geneva, Switzerland. It is located northwest of the city centre and has direct connections to motorways, bus lines and railways . Its northern limit runs along the Swiss-French border and the airport can be...
and spent a couple of days in a hotel room there, studying medical journals and a travel guide about Switzerland, the country where everyone supposed he worked. Romand lived off the money his wife and he had made by selling an apartment, from his wife's salary and from sums of money which were given to him by various relatives, who relied on his assurances that he was investing the money in various imaginary hedge fund
Hedge fund
A hedge fund is a private pool of capital actively managed by an investment adviser. Hedge funds are only open for investment to a limited number of accredited or qualified investors who meet criteria set by regulators. These investors can be institutions, such as pension funds, university...
s and foreign ventures.
Actions, the night of the murders
On 9 January 1993, Romand withdrew 2000Fr, and purchased a handgun, silencer and gas canisters, and asked for them to be gift wrapped.That night, feeling the only thing left to do was kill, he bashed his wife to death on their double bed with a rolling pin. He left her body until the morning, sleeping as normal.
The next morning, he woke his children, had breakfast, and watched cartoons. He put them to bed that night, and once they had fallen asleep, shot them both in the head.
After these killings, the only people who could expose him were his parents, who were both so proud of their 'successful' son, and his ex-mistress, who wanted back 900,000 Fr that she had given him as a favor.
The next morning, Romand traveled across the border to his parents' house, where he joined them for a meal. Immediately after the meal he repeatedly shot them both and the family dog.
That night he picked up his ex-mistress, telling her he was treating her to a romantic meal for two. Pretending the car had broken down, he made her exit the car, and as she did so he attempted to strangle her with a cord and sprayed tear gas into her face. After she fought back, he apologized and drove her back to her home before returning to his family home, which still contained the bodies of his dead wife and children.
He sat and watched TV before he poured petrol around the house, set it alight and took an overdose of sleeping pills to create the appearance of an intended suicide. Whether this attempt was genuine is doubtful, since the pills he took were long expired, and he had access to more effective barbiturates; additionally, the manner the fire was set and the timing of his taking the pills made his rescue inevitable. He was rescued by local firefighters who were alerted by the road cleaners at 4 o'clock the next morning.
He survived the blaze, but refused to talk to police during subsequent questioning; it was initially believed that he was too traumatized to speak.
Aftermath
Romand's trial began on 25 June 1996. On 6 July 1996 Romand was sentenced to life imprisonmentLife imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
; he will be eligible for parole in 2015. Romand is reputed to suffer from Narcissistic personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder is a personality disorder in which the individual is described as being excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity...
.
Fiction
French author Emmanuel CarrèreEmmanuel Carrère
Emmanuel Carrère is a French author, screenwriter and director. He is the son of Louis Édouard Carrère, often known as Louis Carrère d'Encausse after his wife's pen name, and French historian Hélène Carrère d'Encausse....
entered into correspondence with imprisoned Romand to write a book, published in 2000, L'Adversaire (The Adversary), based on the case. Nicole Garcia
Nicole Garcia
Nicole Garcia is a French actress, film director and writer. Her film Selon Charlie was entered into the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.-Actress:*1968: Des garçons et des filles directed by Étienne Périer...
directed a movie, L'Adversaire
L'Adversaire
The Adversary is a 2002 French drama film directed by Nicole Garcia, starring Daniel Auteuil and Géraldine Pailhas.Based on the 2000 book of the same name by Emmanuel Carrère, it is inspired by the real-life story of Jean-Claude Romand...
(2002), based on the book; actor Daniel Auteuil
Daniel Auteuil
Daniel Auteuil is a French film, television and theatre actor.-Early life and education:He was born in Algiers, French Algeria.-Career:...
played the part of Romand (renamed Jean-Marc Faure in the film). Two other movies were loosely based on Romand's life: the French L'Emploi du temps
L'Emploi du temps
Time Out is a 2001 French drama directed by Laurent Cantet, starring Aurélien Recoing and Karin Viard. Loosely based on the life story of Jean-Claude Romand , it focuses on one of Cantet's favorite subject matters: a man's relationship with his job...
(2001) (English title: Time Out) and the Spanish La Vida de nadie (English title: Nobody's Life). Romand's deception also formed the basis of a 2005 episode of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
crime drama Waking The Dead
Waking the Dead (TV series)
Waking the Dead is a British television police procedural crime drama series produced by the BBC featuring a fictional Cold Case Unit comprising CID police officers, a psychological profiler and a forensic scientist. A pilot episode aired in September 2000 and there have been a total of nine series...
. The episode 16 (season 1) "Phantom"
Phantom (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
"Phantom" is a first season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Plot summary:In this episode, Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the murder of a recently paroled bank robber who is found slain in a park...
of Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
is also constructed around this story.