French Couple Who Hunted Virgins To Appear In Court; Will Face Life If Convicted

Charleville-Mezieres, France (AHN) - France's notorious serial killer, Michel Fourniret, went on trial on Thursday for the rape and murder of seven young women.

Fourniret, a 65-year-old-electrician, confessed that his obsession with virginity urged him to hunt for a virgin young girl twice a year.

Prosecutors say Fourniret also admitted that his wife, Monique Olivier, 59, helped him with the crime by luring the young women and teenage girls into her husband's van.

Fourniret is facing charges of rape and murder of six young women in France and one in Belgium between 1987 and 2001, while Olivier is being tried for one of the murders and complicity in four other crimes.

According to prosecutors, Olivier agreed to find virgins for Fourniret if the latter would kill her ex-husband.

A 13-year-old girl from Belgium, who managed to escape Fourniret's abduction in 2003, raised the alarm, ending the couple's serial killing.

The trial, held in a specially-constructed courtroom in Charleville-Mezi?res, France, is expected to last two months. Relatives of the victims will be present, while two women who survived Fourniret's abduction will testify in court.

The couple will face life imprisonment if convicted.