A wealthy widow, murdered with a message written in blood, supposedly naming her killer

found right next to her body.

Out of context, this sounds like something out of a detective novel, but it's in fact

a description of a case out of Cote de Zure, one that has gripped France since the early

1990s and raised questions of class, language, and prejudice in the court system.

But first, let's start from the beginning.

Gillin Marshall, the eventual victim in this case, was born in 1926.

After divorcing her first husband, she married John Pierre Marshall, owner of a well-known

automobile equipment company.

John Pierre's death left Gillin very wealthy, and by 1991, the 65-year-old Gillin divided

her time between Switzerland and her residence in the Cote de Zure region of France in the town

of Moujon.

On Monday, June 24, 1991, Gillin had made plans to have lunch at her home in Moujon with

her friend, Erica.

However, when Erica arrived at 11.30 a.m. as planned, no one answered the doorbell.

She called the home and still no response.

Getting understandably concerned, she began contacting Gillin's other friends, one

of whom contacted Gillin's security company, who in turn sent an employee to the house

to check up on her.

Searching the house revealed no trace of a break-in, but it also revealed that Gillin was nowhere

to be found.

The security alarm wasn't activated and the door was not locked.

...