Henri Girard was a Paris insurance operator. In the accusation, he took out life insurance on friends and acquaintances, often without their knowledge, and named himself as the beneficiary. Two deaths, six years apart, stood at the center of the case: that of Louis Pernotte on December 1, 1912, and that of Mme Monin, a widow, on April 30, 1918. The two deaths were separate events, and the insurers involved included La Generale and Gresham in the Pernotte case and the Phenix company in the Monin case. The sums named were 125,000 francs and 85,000 francs on Pernotte and 20,000 francs on Mme Monin.
None of this was tested at a trial. Girard was accused, never convicted, and the court never ruled on whether he caused either death.
In July 1918 the Phenix insurer lodged a complaint of fraud with the Paris prosecutor's office, the parquet de la Seine. An examining magistrate, Gabriel Bonin, took the inquiry. The magistrate had Girard and Jeanne Drouhin, who became his wife, arrested in August 1918. The arrest is also dated August 1919, after the Phenix company refused to pay out.
The investigation lasted 32 months, a span that ends in the spring of 1921. Girard admitted that some policies were fraudulent, but not that he had caused any death.
The case against Girard was not his alone. His wife, Jeanne Drouhin, was accused with him. A woman described as his mistress and two other accomplices were also accused. The accomplices were later found fully responsible: Jeanne Girard, born Drouhin, received forced labor for life, the mistress received twenty years in prison, and the other two received much lighter sentences. The court, the date and the exact wording of those verdicts are not on record.
Girard did not live to see a trial. He died in 1920 or 1921; the place, the exact date and the cause are not on record. No verdict was given on him.
The wording of the charges brought for the two deaths, the date of the order sending the case to the Cour d'assises, and Girard's exact date of death are not on record. The arrest is dated August 1918 and also August 1919.
December 1, 1912: Louis Pernotte dies; he had been insured for large sums naming Girard.
April 30, 1918: Mme Monin dies.
July 1918: an insurer files a complaint of fraud with the Paris prosecutor's office.
August 1918 (or August 1919): Girard and Jeanne Drouhin are arrested.
Spring 1921: the 32-month inquiry ends.
1920 or 1921: Girard dies before any trial; the year is disputed.