Roger Girerd was born around 1931 in Charvieu-Chavagneux, a rural community in southeastern France. By the mid-1960s, he was a 34-year-old foundry worker and farmer, living with his wife Jeannette, their six young children, his elderly mother Angèle, his younger brother Robert, and a niece.

Girerd’s life, by all accounts, was one of hardship and physical exhaustion. He worked long hours at a local foundry by day and performed additional labor on the family farm in the evenings. Witnesses and relatives described him as dutiful but increasingly strained—an overburdened man carrying the weight of both economic and emotional responsibilities. His mother, who still managed the household, reportedly pushed him to work harder, often criticizing his efforts and expecting him to handle the heaviest chores.

The constant cycle of work and stress appeared to take a psychological toll. In 1959, Girerd was committed to a psychiatric institution in Grenoble after suffering what doctors described as a mental breakdown from overwork. He was discharged after several months and returned to his family, but his mental health continued to deteriorate over the following years.

Friends and neighbors later recalled that in early 1965, Girerd began showing signs of paranoia and despair. He frequently spoke of an impending nuclear war, expressing fear for his children’s future and concern that the world was heading toward destruction. Those close to him noticed a growing fixation on the idea that death might be preferable to a life of suffering and poverty.

On the night of May 19, 1965, at the age of 34, Roger Girerd committed one of the deadliest familial massacres in French history. He began by stabbing his wife, Jeannette, and their six children, aged between 6 months and 10 years, as well as his 16-month-old niece, Sylviane Gonnet. The bodies of Jeannette, four of his children, and his niece were found the next day in the kitchen, covered with sheets, while the two remaining children were discovered on the first floor. Around 8:30 a.m. on May 20, a witness heard two gunshots from the farm; it was believed that Girerd then shot his 58-year-old mother, Angèle, and his 23-year-old brother, Robert, in an annex. Approximately 90 minutes later, two more shots were heard—Girerd had killed his dog and then himself.

In a suicide note, Girerd expressed his despair over living in poverty and his desire to prevent his children from enduring the same hardships. He wrote: 
"I have enough. I have to do something. I don't want my children to have to live the way I have to. I want everyone to live in peace. ... I am leaving money for the funeral and to pay my debts."

The victims of this tragic event were:

1. Jeannette Girerd, 34, wife
2. Eliane Girerd, 10, daughter
3. Joceline Girerd, 8, daughter
4. Bernard Girerd, 7, son
5. Yves Girerd, 4, son
6. Daniel Girerd, 2, son
7. Pierre Girerd, 6 months, son
8. Sylviane Gonnet, 16 months, niece
9. Angèle Girerd, 58, mother
10. Robert Girerd, 23, brother

This case remains one of the most harrowing instances of familicide in France, highlighting the devastating impact of mental health issues and societal pressures.