This time, the justice system has put an end to the rumors. The autopsy of Elio Darmon, a witness in the Robert Boulin death case, "confirms the absence of third-party involvement" and describes "a deteriorating state of health," according to the Lorient prosecutor's office. The forensic report points to "heart failure." The body of the 79-year-old man was found on April 1st at his home in Brandérion, Morbihan.
A witness dies, the case remains unsolved.
Because Elio Darmon's name wasn't just that of a passing witness. While the Boulin case, that old file that clings to the Fifth Republic like a persistent shadow, seemed headed for dismissal, his late appearance in 2022 revived the investigation, despite his age and illness. Heard by an investigating judge in 2023, he provided information that led to the identification of a man, who died in 1986, presented as a potential murderer. Between the lines, one understands what the disappearance of a witness always takes with it: a voice silenced, a memory silenced.
The fact remains that the core of the case hasn't budged an inch. Robert Boulin, Minister of Labor under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, was found dead on October 30, 1979, in a pond in the Rambouillet forest. The official version states it was suicide by drowning after ingesting barbiturates, while his family has for decades maintained the theory of a staged homicide. The lawyer for the minister's daughter, Didier Seban, wants the Versailles prosecutor's office to "transfer the case to the unsolved crimes unit in Nanterre," noting that "other important witnesses are still alive." In a case where time is working against the truth, each passing week feels like another door closing a little further.
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