Honoré Zanchi

Honoré Zanchi (born 4 May 1962), known as The Avenger (French: Le Nettoyeur), is a French serial killer, gangster, thief, weapons illegal holder and repeat offender. He committed four murders between 1992 and 2009.

In February 1992, Zanchi killed a man after learning that the latter had assaulted one of his friends. Sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, he was released in 1999, and was subsequently incarcerated several times until April 2008.

Between May 2008 and March 2009, Zanchi killed three others people to avenge his friend Jean-François André, who had been killed in 2003. Initially sentenced to life imprisonment, his sentence was reduced to 30 years on appeal.

Murders First murder On 23 February 1992, Zanchi learned that one of his best friends had been lynched and assaulted by another man, whom he knew. Zanchi grabbed two 9 mm pistols, even though he did not have a firearms licence. Zanchi's goal was to "avenge" his friend by "teaching a lesson" to the person who had hurt him. Zanchi described his actions as a "code of honour towards his friends" in order to "avenge" them if anyone attacked them. Zanchi went to see his friend's attacker. He began to watch the bar-restaurant in Saint-Rambert-d'Albon, which he frequented daily. When he saw the attacker, Zanchi took out his pistols, which he held in each hand, and shot him. The victim died instantly, without having time to return Zanchi's fire.

In 1996, Zanchi appeared before the Gard Assize Court for the second-degree murder of his friend's attacker. Solidarity with his friends, Zanchi confessed to being responsible for his crime, but pleaded self-defense with regard to his friend. Called to the stand, Zanchi's relatives testified that his other friends still supported him, despite the fact that he had committed murder. Zanchi's partner was also present during the hearing and continued to support him. To justify his murder, Zanchi confessed to having acted to "avenge the honour" of his friend when he was "beaten up". At the end of his trial, Zanchi was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. During his detention, his friend, Jean-François André, provided financial assistance to Zanchi's partner and son.

In August 2003, seven months after Zanchi's release, he learned that his best friend, Jean-François André (known as "La Pie"), had been murdered near his home at the age of 42. The news left Zanchi is affected and "devastated". This turning point made Zanchi feel "guilty" for not having been able to protect his friend from what was to come. In a rare occurrence, thousands of people from different countries attended André's funeral. Zanchi was also present at the ceremony. In November, several arrests were made among La Pie's associates, but there was insufficient evidence to charge any of the suspects. Zanchi was also questioned but was found to be completely innocent of the crime. The police received a tip-off from an informant identifying Michel Di-Bacco as the instigator and Gerald Crouzet as the perpetrator. While in custody, Di-Bacco claimed to have had dinner in a restaurant with a friend and his father-in-law. His alibi was confirmed after the two witnesses were questioned, but there was no evidence to suggest that he had not ordered the crime. As for Crouzet, he said he could not remember what he had done on the evening of the incident because too much time had passed. The police had no evidence against the two suspects and were forced to release them.

On 29 July, at around 12.30 p.m., Zanchi parked his moped in front of the bar-restaurant in Arras-sur-Rhône, accompanied by an accomplice. Zanchi and his accomplice waited at the entrance to the bar for Michel Di-Bacco, 52, to leave the restaurant, of which he was the owner. Zanchi waited for a moment until he saw Di-Bacco. Upon seeing his future victim, Zanchi fired 13 9mm bullets at Michel Di-Bacco, who was riddled with bullets and died instantly. Following his latest crime, Zanchi fled and went to tell André's former partner that ‘her husband had been avenged’. When Michel Di-Bacco's body was discovered, a murder investigation was launched. Witnesses to the shooting claimed to have seen a man on a motorbike shoot the victim, but were unable to identify the model of the vehicle. They also disagree on the shooter's physical appearance: some describe a thin man, or even a woman, while others speak of a young man who looked like a teenager. As the investigation into Di-Bacco's death begins, several of the deceased's relatives speak more about a feud he had with Jean-François André five years earlier. Several testimonies are recorded in relation to the André and Di-Bacco cases in order to establish a connection between the two crimes. In the telephone wiretaps, Zanchi is also referred to as the ‘avenger’ because of his claims, but there is insufficient evidence to incriminate him. Another witness statement establishes a new link with the death of Gerald Crouzet, which occurred three months earlier.

In end of September, Crouzet's body was exhumed. The forensic scientist established that there was a bullet wound to the victim's head; Crouzet's death was therefore a homicide, caused by a firearm, and was in no way accidental. With the help of telephone tapping, Zanchi remained the prime suspect, although there was still insufficient evidence to arrest him. The investigators then decided to tap his mobile phone and bug his car in order to gather evidence on the man they suspected of being a serial killer. The wiretaps lasted several months but proved fruitless, as Zanchi was well acquainted with police procedures.

On 25 March 2009, Zanchi was driving along the roads of Arras-sur-Rhône. While driving, Zanchi came across Marc Nepote-Cit, 35, with whom tensions rose. Nepote-Cit was also Michel Di-Bacco's best friend and strongly suspected Zanchi of having murdered him. The encounter between Zanchi and Nepote-Cit sparked great hostility over the murders of Michel Di-Bacco and Jean-François André. Unable to tolerate resistance from one of his enemies, Zanchi held Nepote-Cit at gunpoint and took him to a deserted road in Vernosc-lès-Annonay, near Roche Péréandre, a place he described as ‘the rock where André died’. After dragging Nepote-Cit to the bottom of the rock, Zanchi killed him with several blows to the head — the weapon used in the crime is unknown — then stripped him naked to humiliate him. Following his latest murder – his fourth – Zanchi buried the victim at the foot of Roche Péréandre. Three days later, Népote-Cit's sister reported him missing. This new case intrigued investigators, who already suspected Zanchi in the first two murders. Looking at the phone bills, the investigators noticed that Zanchi and Népote-Cit's mobile phones were transmitting from the same location. In addition, they discovered that Zanchi's phone had remained at Roche Péréandre for 20 minutes.

Although Zanchi is now a serial killer—as well as a repeat offender—Jean-François André's family explains that Zanchi has always been affected by the death of his friend, whom he considered his "brother in spirit". Following his detention, Zanchi was nicknamed "The Avenger" by the press for having "cleaned" André's honour. He was also nicknamed "The Helmeted Avenger" and "The Vengeful Avenger". Described as an "old-school thug", Zanchi is known for bringing justice to his friends, whatever the risks.

First sentence On 18 November 2010, Zanchi appeared before the Privas criminal Court for criminal conspiracy, theft, handling stolen goods and robbery, committed in 2003. In the dock, he admitted to illegally possessing weapons and receiving stolen goods, but denied embezzling money and burglarising the Phildar store, despite the discovery of several items of clothing at his home in May 2004. At the end of his trial, Zanchi was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Zanchi's five co-defendants received sentences ranging from six months' suspended imprisonment to two years' imprisonment.

On 18 September 2012, Zanchi's trial began before the Drôme Assize Court for the first-degree murders of Crouzet and Di-Bacco, as well as the second-degree murder of Nepote-Cit. He was defended by Jean-Yves Bret.

On 21 September, Zanchi was sentenced to life imprisonment for the first-degree murders of Crouzet and Di-Bacco, as well as the second-degree murder of Nepote-Cit. He appealed against this decision.

Appeal On 26 March 2014, Zanchi's appeal trial began before the Assize Court of Isère. He was defended by Mr Sylvain Cormier.

During his trial, Zanchi broke his silence and proclaimed his innocence. Zanchi's defence focused on the inconsistencies in his "revenge" and pointed to his late intervention. The defence argued that he could have killed Gérald Crouzet, Michel Di-Bacco and Marc Nepote-Cit as early as 2003 or 2004. Mr Cormier demonstrated that Zanchi did not return to prison until nine months after André's death, which, in his view, proved Zanchi's innocence, as Zanchi would have been incapable of waiting five years to "avenge" André. The Court, however, does not share this view and asserts that the commission of the acts is due to the dismissal of the case in 2008, reinforcing a desire to kill in order to seek "revenge".

On 28 March, Zanchi was sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment for the first-degree murders of Crouzet and Di-Bacco, as well as the second-degree murder of Nepote-Cit. Zanchi and Mr Cormier lodged an appeal with the Court of cassation, but this was rejected.