Overview
- Elio Darmon, 78, was found Wednesday, April 1st, at his home in Brandérion, and prosecutors in Lorient opened an inquiry to determine the cause of death with an autopsy due next week.
- Police forensic teams processed the scene, and investigators placed official seals on the house and on his car outside the property.
- Darmon’s testimony resurfaced the disputed 1979 death of labor minister Robert Boulin in 2022, and a judge heard him in 2023 after he described a SAC-linked conversation and recalled a Mercedes license plate that helped identify a suspect who died in 1986.
- He had reported gunfire at his home during the night of August 29th–30th, 2025, which led to an investigation for violence with a weapon, and Boulin’s daughter and Darmon’s lawyer had warned that elderly witnesses were not being protected.
- Family counsel now press to transfer the Boulin dossier to the specialized cold-cases unit in Nanterre, a move they say could bring fresher review to a politically sensitive case as key witnesses age.