On the 20 March 1817, a lifeless body is found on the banks of the Aveyron river near Rodez. The throat was cut, making an obvious murder. The victim is well known: it’s Bernardin Fualdès, a retired prosecutor. This affair is one of the most infamous of the 19th century and will be followed avidly all over Europe, marking the start of true crime, crime magazines, and the crime-obsessed press.
