The Belgian woman who shocked the world by killing her five children has been put to sleep on the 16th anniversary of her crimes. Genevieve Lhermitte was 40 when she cut the throats of her children, aged between 3 and 14, at her family’s home in the Belgian town of Nivelles. Her husband, the children’s father, was away visiting his family in Morocco when the crimes took place.
Lhermitte later tried to commit suicide but was unable to do so and called local authorities to report his actions.
2 of 5 Genevieve Lhermitte’s exhusband, Bouchaib Moqadem, arrives at the trial of the mother of their five children, 2008 — Photo: Getty Images
Genevieve Lhermitte’s exhusband, Bouchaib Moqadem, arrives for the trial of the mother of her five children in 2008 — Photo: Getty Images
Lhermitte was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008 and subsequently transferred to a psychiatric facility in 2019. She opted for euthanasia Belgian law allows people to opt for euthanasia when they experience “unbearable mental suffering” and express it reasonably to authorities and doctors. Her lawyer told the international press that the measure was only approved after obtaining “various medical reports”.
3 of 5 Genevieve Lhermitte at her trial in 2008 — Photo: Getty Images
Genevieve Lhermitte at her trial in 2008 Photo: Getty Images
Lhermitte’s death was confirmed by her lawyers and reported by the British newspaper Chron. Lhermitte’s story, which received wide attention from the international press at the time of its appearance, inspired the film Lose Reason (2012), directed by Joachim Lafosse and starring Émilie Dequenne and Tahar Rahim. The film won the Best Actress trophy in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival for Dequenne.
4 of 5 Poster for the film Perder a Razão (2012) inspired by the story by Genevieve Lhermitte — Photo: Reproduction
Poster for the film Losing Reason (2012) inspired by the story by Genevieve Lhermitte — Photo: Reproduction
Lhermitte justified her actions in the process by saying that she felt “desperate and lonely” at home with the children. She also expressed regret: “I gave my husband children and I killed them. I lost all my children because of me. You. You.” They didn’t deserve that.”
The five victims of Lhermitte are Yasmine (14 years old), Nora (12 years old), Myriam (10 years old), Mina (7 years old) and Mehdi (3 years old). Her thenhusband filed for divorce the day after the crimes.
5 of 5 Émilie Dequenne and Tahar Rahim in a scene from Losing Reason (2012) — Photo: Reproduction
Émilie Dequenne and Tahar Rahim in a scene from Losing Reason (2012) — Photo: Reproduction