Gisèle Pélicot's Ex-Husband, Who Was Convicted of Drugging and Raping Her, Reportedly Questioned About Other Crimes

• Dominique Pélicot — who was found guilty of drugging and raping his wife Gisèle Pélicot and inviting dozens to sexually assault her over the course of nearly 10 years — is facing renewed questioning regarding two other cases dating back to the 1990s, according to reports
• One case relates to the 1991 murder of real estate agent Sophie Narme, while the other is the attempted rape of a real estate agent in 1999, per the Associated Press
• Dominique has denied any involvement in the killing, and has denied attempted rape, but admitted he did try to undress the woman in 1999

Gisèle Pélicot’s ex-husband Dominique Pélicot, who was convicted of drugging his then-wife and inviting dozens of men to rape her over the course of nearly a decade, is being questioned about two other cases of attempted rape and murder dating back to the 1990s.

On Dec. 19, a jury in Avignon, France, found Dominique, 72, guilty of aggravated rape against Gisèle, also 72, the BBC reported at the time. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

He’s now facing renewed questioning, unrelated to the sentencing, regarding the killing of property agent Sophie Narme, who was murdered in Paris on Dec. 4, 1991, per the Associated Press. Dominique has denied he had any involvement in the killing, according to AP, who cited his lawyer Béatrice Zavarro.

Dominique, who is a retired electrician and estate agent, is also being questioned about the attempted rape of a property agent in Villeparisis — a suburb on the outskirts of Paris — on May 11, 1999, the AP reported. Zavarro said that Dominique admitted to meeting the woman and trying to undress her, but he denied accusations of attempted rape. 

According to the BBC, the attempted rape victim is known by the pseudonym Marion, with the outlet adding that DNA evidence showed blood found on the victim’s shoe had been linked to Dominique.

The AP reported that Dominique had been under formal investigation for both of those crimes since October 2022. According to the BBC, the cases had been grouped together the month prior and were being investigated by a team specializing “in unsolved cases and serial crimes.”

While speaking to French radio station RTL, lawyer Florence Rault, who is representing the victims, highlighted the alleged “similarities” in the two cases.

“One has to remain cautious. Perhaps someone else committed the crime on Sophie Narme. But there are such similarities in the mode of operation, in the way the victims were approached — and the victims are so identical, too — that one can legitimately ask many questions,” she said, per the AP.

Rault did not immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment. 

According to the BBC, Narme was killed after a man used a false name to book a viewing for an apartment, and detectives accused Dominique of doing the same thing in Marion’s case. The outlet added that the smell of the anesthetic drug ether was detected in both instances.

“Let’s remember … he benefits from the presumption of innocence,” Dominique’s lawyer, Zavarro, said, per the AP, regarding people who might be linking the cases to him abusing his ex-wife Gisèle.

In September, Dominique confessed to the crimes against his wife Gisèle in court, admitting, “I am a rapist.” The case horrified people around the world, with Gisèle being declared a hero by many for speaking out.

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Dominique was on trial along with 50 other men, whose ages ranged between 26 and 74. Those 50 were also sentenced alongside Dominique after being given guilty verdicts for crimes including aggravated rape, sexual assault and child abuse imagery.

As previously reported by PEOPLE, Gisèle was unaware of the abuse before police discovered thousands of pictures and videos on Dominique’s computer in 2020. The findings came amid accusations that he had filmed up three women’s skirts in a supermarket, The Times reported. The timeline of Mrs. Pélicot’s abuse is thought to date back to 2011.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.