Overview

• A retired priest, Pierre Panon, and a 76-year-old woman were killed by stoning on March 31, 2025, in Xertigny, Vosges, while house-sitting for the woman's brother.
• Authorities have ruled out any connection between the priest's religious role and the attack, according to Épinal prosecutor Frédéric Nahon.
• The suspect, known for prior drug-related offenses, was arrested with bloodied feet after resisting arrest and has been hospitalized in a psychiatric facility.
• The victims were found in a public area, with bloodied stones and a broken cane nearby, and the timeline of the attack was narrowed to a 30-minute window.
• Further psychiatric evaluations of the suspect are ongoing, with the results expected to guide the next steps in the investigation.