RedHanded Episode #428: Laetitia Toureaux – Murder on the Metro

Release Date: December 4, 2025
Hosts: Suruthi Bala & Hannah Maguire

Episode Overview

In this engrossing episode, Suruthi and Hannah unravel the mysterious and shockingly chic murder of Laetitia Toureaux, the first ever person to be murdered on the Paris Metro, in 1937. What begins as an apparently random act of violence against a glamorous young widow soon explodes into a tale filled with espionage, political terrorism, and secrets buried deep within the fabric of interwar France. With multiple theories, historical context, and a locked-room mystery at its heart, this episode poses the essential question: who killed Laetitia Toureaux, and why has her case remained unsolved for nearly a century?

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The Murder (03:32 – 17:13)

• Laetitia’s Final Day

  • Laetitia Toureaux, a 29-year-old Italian immigrant, was living a bustling life in Paris.
  • On Pentecost Sunday, May 16, 1937, she stepped out in an uncharacteristically bright green suit (06:59), wearing a lapel pin for the Ligue Republica de Bien Public.
  • Her day included family visits, a dance hall outing, and plans for a banquet that evening.

• Events Leading to the Crime

  • She leaves the Bal musette at 6pm, boards the Port Charenton Metro at 6:25pm. Witnesses confirm she was alone in the first-class carriage as the train departed (10:35–11:27).
  • Less than one minute later, at Porte Dorée station, new passengers board to find her slumped forward. Major Raymond de Bruyere, a military dentist, finds a nine-inch dagger in her neck; her jugular is severed (12:52).
  • Major de Bruyere and his party make a “French exit”, prioritizing their evening plans—and their social standing—over reporting the crime (14:13).

  “He later told the press...that his priority was protecting his fiancée from the inevitable scandal of being embroiled in a brutal murder.” – Suruthi (14:13)

• Immediate Aftermath

  • Sex workers discover Laetitia's body, panic erupts, and the alarm is finally raised. A rookie policeman pulls the knife from her neck, causing her to rapidly bleed out en route to hospital (16:29).
  • Her murder becomes a media sensation and an unsolvable “locked-room mystery.”

2. The Locked-Room Mystery & Theories (17:13 – 26:45)

• Investigative Dead End

  • No one saw any potential killer enter or leave her carriage at either station. The doors between the first and second-class cars were reportedly locked (18:43).
  • “Could the killer have struck mid journey, then slipping between carriages, stabbing Letitia and then vanishing...?” – Hannah (18:43)
  • Discussion about tube/metro etiquette and fears surrounding people moving between carriages, but the physical set-up was thought to make this impossible (22:34).

• Possible Scenarios:

  • The killer stabbed Laetitia and leaped off before departure (25:32).
  • The killer switched to second class after the attack to blend in with crowds.
  • The killer committed the act while the train was in motion and escaped unnoticed at the next station.

3. Laetitia’s Background: Ordinary Worker or Femme Fatale? (30:02 – 44:51)

• Personal History

  • Born in 1907 in Valle d'Aosta, Italy. Moved to France with her mother and siblings in her teens.
  • Married Jules Toureaux, but their union was kept secret due to class differences. Jules dies, leaving her little but French citizenship.

• Working Life & Relationships

  • Factory worker by day, cloakroom attendant and dancer by night under the name “Yolanda.” Loved by family, friends, and had numerous romantic entanglements.
  • Evidence of possible sex work speculated due to possession of multiple first-class train tickets, though her mother offers a benign explanation (38:13).
  • At time of death, involved with two military men, neither of whom had the opportunity to commit the crime (41:02).

4. The Double (or Triple) Life: Spy vs. Spy (42:12 – 54:40)

• The Private Detective Revelation

  • Georges Ruffignac, a Poirot-esque figure, claims to have employed Laetitia as an investigator on several assignments (42:12).
  • Laetitia infiltrated political and labor organizations at his behest, reporting on left-wing and union activities (43:57).

• Espionage and Political Intrigue

  • Embedded in the left-wing Ligue Republica de Bien Public, but apparently also spied for the police (47:17).
  • Wore a lapel pin on the day she died—a possible signal.
  • Her motivations for spying appear to be financial/social rather than ideological. She may have had right-wing sympathies (48:33).

5. Le Cagoule: Terrorism, Assassinations & The Looming Shadow (49:30 – 54:40)

• Historical Context

  • The 1930s in France were marked by extreme political unrest; fascist groups like Le Cagoule plotted to overthrow the government (45:39; 50:00).
  • Le Cagoule, named after the hoods its members wore, was a powerful, elite, ultra-right terrorist organization with ties to major corporations.

• Laetitia’s Dangerous Assignment

  • Laetitia became the lover of Le Cagoule arms smuggler Gabriel Jonte. She gained unique insight into the group’s activities (54:40).
  • Played a role in undermining the group’s arms smuggling and potentially exposed assassination plots.

6. Motive, Threats, and Execution (57:53 – 66:25)

• Build-Up to Murder

  • Le Cagoule becomes suspicious and sets a trap to confirm Laetitia is leaking information (56:37).
  • After the trap is sprung, leadership allegedly votes to kill her. She is stalked and eventually executed on the Metro.

• Signs She Knew She Was in Danger

  • Days before her death, she told friends a stranger tried to stab her. She was more anxious than usual, dyed her hair blonde, and dressed brightly—possibly an attempt to disguise herself (59:13).

    “I'm laughing now, but I won't be laughing tonight because I don't expect things to go well.” – Laetitia to a friend, quoted by Hannah (57:53)

• Who Done It?

  • Le Cagoule hitman Jean Filliol named as the prime suspect by police (60:29).
  • Alternative theories: In 2010, historians Finley Crosswhite and Gail K. Brunel propose Mussolini’s secret police, OVRA, as her real killers—Laetitia as a possible triple agent (61:22).
  • Stylistic details of the murder may point more towards an Italian-style contract killing (63:04).

7. Red Herrings, Sealed Files, and Official Secrecy (66:25 – 70:32)

• Final (Unconvincing) Suspects

  • In 1962, a supposed jilted lover confesses via anonymous letter but the hosts are skeptical (“Letitia's killing smacks of calculated professional hitman stuff.” – Hannah, 68:26).

• Official Silence & The French “Legacy”

  • The case was closed as unsolved; all files sealed for 101 years, until 2038 (68:41; 70:32).
  • The French establishment is accused of burying stories that might expose pre-war fascist sympathies.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On metro etiquette & locked-rooms:

  “One of the most unsettling things is when people walk between carriages...If he's willing to do that, what else is he willing to do? He could murder us all.” – Suruthi (22:08)

• On Laetitia’s chicness & being memorable:

  “That's what I want people to say about me if and when I'm murdered, rather than lit up a room. Yeah, well, I did notice her because she was incredibly chic.” – Suruthi (17:13)

• On the make-up of Le Cagoule:

  “Their leaders included ex-army officers, engineers, doctors and industrialists...bankrolled by huge names like Michelin, L’OREAL...” – Hannah (50:00)

• On official obfuscation:

  “All files related to this case were sealed for 101 years, only to be opened in 2038, long after everyone involved has kicked the bucket.” – Suruthi (68:41)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Content | Timestamp | |---------|---------|-----------| | Dramatic Introduction / Murder | Setting the crime scene | 03:32–17:13 | | Locked-Room Mystery / Theories | Investigative confusion & scenarios | 17:13–26:45 | | Laetitia's Early Life & Marriage | Origins / social climbing | 30:02–38:13 | | Romantic Entanglements & Spy Life | Lovers, private eye work | 38:13–44:51 | | Le Cagoule & Political Context | Rise of fascism & terrorism | 45:39–54:40 | | The Trap, Murder, and Aftermath | Le Cagoule’s execution order; competing theories | 56:37–66:25 | | Red Herrings, Official Closure | Later confession, sealed files | 66:25–70:32 |

Memorable Moments

• Banter about hats, chicness, and Parisian fashion anchoring the story’s jazz-age vibe (08:08–10:35).
• The locked doors on the Metro and “locked room” mystery obsession (18:43, 19:49).
• Hannah’s exasperation at the “French exit” vs. “Irish goodbye” (14:13).
• Amusing sidebar on the etymology of “podcast” (32:00–33:17).
• Musing over the stylishness of Paris and murder (“10 out of 10 chic – apart from sweating bullets in the station, that’s very unchic.” – 68:16).

Language & Tone

The hosts keep a light-hearted, irreverent tone even while exploring dark historical and true crime material, blending sparkling banter, period detail, and a critical look at official secrecy—and France’s reluctance to face up to its own interwar demons.

Conclusion

RedHanded’s deep dive into the Laetitia Toureaux case elegantly mixes period glamour, political intrigue, and old-school whodunit energy. Despite near-century-old secrets—still tightly sealed by the French state—the show leaves listeners with vivid characters, razor-sharp wit, and the enduring suspicion that the truth of what happened on the Metro might only emerge in 2038, if ever.

“If that does happen, maybe we can crack those bad boys together...Until then, we leave you with what is officially a perplexing mystery. Au revoir.” – Suruthi (70:39, 71:51)