This story from France makes the Laci Peterson case look like a common mugging. Here's the set-up from Nidra Poller's essay at NRO:
The bare-bones story doesn't exactly qualify as Shakespeare. Marie Trintignant, 41-year-old French actress, is dead, and her lover, 39-year-old rock star Bertrand Cantat, is being held in a Wilno prison hospital. According to initial reports in the French press, the lovers had a violent quarrel Saturday night (July 26-27), and the actress fell and hit her head. She underwent surgery, he was hospitalized; she was in a coma, he was nearly comatose, from a combination of drugs and alcohol. The incident occurred a few days before the end of shooting — Marie was playing Colette in a TV film directed by her mother, Nadine Trintignant. (The eldest of her four sons, Roman Kolinka, has a role in the film; her brother Vincent is assistant director.) Cantat, leader of the record-breaking rock group Noir Désir, is quick to explain that Marie was injured accidentally, though he admits that he pushed her. She is hovering between life and death. She is brain-dead. A French surgeon flies to Wilno for a second, last-chance operation. Hopeless. Marie's mother speaks up, both directly and through her lawyer. Her daughter was beaten to death. Cantat is arraigned. He's terribly sorry about the accident, but denies the crime; he's ready to take his punishment, but not in Lithuania.
It's a bit long, but I found it fascinating to read about the indifferent, even sympathetic reaction of the French press and public to at best a brute, and at worst a murderer, who just happens to be oh, so politically correct.
Posted by dan at August 17, 2003 10:24 PM