40 years ago, judge Pierre Michel was assassinated in the street

The killers gave him no chance. In Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), on October 21, 1981, Judge Pierre Michel was shot dead on his way home on his motorcycle. In the middle of the street, two bikers shot him before fleeing. Since the Occupation, this is the second time in France that a judge was murdered. Judge Pierre Michel was recognized for his strong personality and his fight against drug trafficking in Marseille.

Journalist and author of the book “Qui To killed Judge Michel “, published by Michel Lafon, Jean-Marie Pontaut explains that the judge had, in the past, dealt with drug addicts. “He had seen the ravages of drugs, so he had a very strong kind of contempt for the traffickers”, he confides. After four years of investigation, the perpetrators and sponsors of this crime have been identified: they were bigwigs in the drug trade. In June 1988, Francois Checchi, the shooter, Charles Altieri, the pilot, and François Girard, one of the sponsors, were sentenced to life imprisonment. On the other hand, another of the sponsors, Homer Filippi, has never been found.