France's Cour de révision annuls Dany Leprince's life sentence for 1994 quadruple murder, orders new trial

The decision

On Thursday, 2 July 2026, the Cour de révision and réexamen, presided by Nicolas Bonnal, annulled the life sentence of Dany Leprince for the 1994 quadruple murder of his brother Christian, his sister-in-law Brigitte, and their two daughters Audrey and Sandra (aged 6 and 10) in Thorigné-sur-Dué. The court found that two pieces of evidence presented to the original assize court had been weakened by material unknown to that jurisdiction, creating doubt over his guilt. The ruling ordered a new trial before a different assize court, in Maine-et-Loire.

The Court of Revision and Re-examination finds that two of the elements likely held against the defendant by the assize court are weakened by material unknown to that jurisdiction, which is liable to give rise to doubt as to Dany Leprince's guilt.

A decades-long fight

Leprince, 69, who served 18 years in prison following his 1997 conviction, has always maintained his innocence. He initially confessed during a 46‑hour police custody but retracted soon after. His first request for revision, filed in October 2005, was rejected in April 2011. A second request, submitted in March 2021, eventually led to the transmission of the case to the revision court after a commission found two new or previously unknown elements: statements by his eldest daughter Célia and doubts over the reliability of the testimony of Solène, the only survivor of the attack, who was two years old at the time.

It appears necessary to hold new adversarial proceedings on account of the new and previously unknown material now before the Revision Court, which must be weighed against the persistent grey areas in the file.

Reaction

Emerging from the Paris courthouse, Leprince embraced his lawyers and wept. He called the decision a victory but insisted the fight was not over. “It’s extraordinary to obtain this revision,” he told reporters. “The struggle continues and I am determined not only for the retrial but for the truth, which must come out.”

The struggle continues and I am determined not only for the retrial but for the truth, which must come out.

Rarity of revision

Criminal convictions are revised only exceptionally in France. Since 1945, around a dozen such proceedings have succeeded, according to public records.

What happens next

The case will now be heard by the Assize Court of Maine-et-Loire, in Angers, at a date yet to be set. Leprince’s wife Anie, his lawyers Olivier Morice and Missiva Chermak Felonneau, and his brother’s attorney Laurent de Caunes were at his side as he arrived at the Paris court ahead of the ruling.