Religion News Blog is a non-profit service providing academics, religion professionals and other researchers with religion & cult news

Religion news articles about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues

Navigation:

Search

Voodoo killer gets 28 years in prison

AP, via CNN, USA
Aug. 18, 2006
www.cnn.com

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Monday August 21, 2006

Jilted man built shrine of former girlfriend’s underwear

NEW YORK (AP) — A man who built a voodoo shrine using his ex-girlfriend’s underwear, then killed her mother and a dog and slashed her cousin, was sentenced Thursday to 28 years to life in prison.

Pierre Carrenard was sentenced to consecutive terms of 25 years to life for killing the woman, two years for killing the dog and one year for assaulting the 16-year-old girl on August 9, 2005, prosecutor Charles Hynes said.

The ex-girlfriend, Francois MacDaly, told police Carrenard, 36, harassed her after she broke up with him. On the day of the crimes, she said, Carrenard called her at work and threatened her mother, Esperance Labidou, a Haitian immigrant who worked at a bus company.

Carrenard testified in court that he believed Labidou had turned her daughter against him.

Prosecutors said Carrenard stabbed Labidou 25 times in her home before turning the knife on her Chihuahua, Foo Foo.

When the teenage cousin, who lived upstairs, entered the basement apartment, Carrenard slashed her face. He then fled to Florida.

Police found a shrine in his apartment made of MacDaly’s underwear and one of his socks tied together with a vine.

Carrenard explained in court that the shrine “was a sort of spell to control her spirit.”

Police also found a letter in his apartment.

“All I want to do is to love you and make a life with you, but your family keeps getting in the way,” the letter said. “Let this be the last interference. You will no longer listen to your family. You will listen to me.”

Carrenard was arrested last August in Miami, where he had been staying with friends. He was convicted this month.