Cop Unmasked Himself As ‘Grele’ Serial Killer That Terrorized Paris For 35 Years In Suicide Note

Just hours before he fatally overdosed on pills, the "Le Grêlé" serial killer, who notoriously terrorized Paris in the 1980s and 1990s, finally revealed his identity on Wednesday after more than three decades of escaping punishment for his barbaric crimes.

Francois V., 59, a former French police officer, confessed his crimes and revealed himself as a serial killer in a suicide note written just before he ended his own life. His body was then recovered by police at a seaside resort near Montpellier, a roughly eight-hour drive from Paris.

For years, the man had been called in for questioning in connection with the case of the violent murderer and rapist "Le Grêlé," a criminal given this nickname in reference to his face, which was pockmarked by acne, the BBC reported.

A DNA test is now underway to confirm the authenticity of his claims on the suicide note, which could mean he was responsible for the brutal killings of 11-year-old Cécile Bloch and 19-year-old Karine Leroy as well as the murders of 38-year-old Gilles Politi and his 21-year-old au pair Irmgard Mueller, who were both mercilessly tortured to death.

In his suicide note, the retired cop also said he was “not well in life” at the time of the killings. He was accused of six different brutal rapes, Forbes noted. His bizarre confession could mark the end of one of France's most infamous cold cases.

Bloch was abducted from her apartment building while she was leaving for school in May 1986 with her half-naked corpse later found in a basement of the building covered by an old carpet. The young victim had been raped before she was strangled and stabbed in the chest.

“He seemed very sure of himself. He spoke to me in a very bold, very polite way, too. He said something to me like, ‘Have a very, very good day,’” Cecilia’s older half-brother, Luc Richard, said in previous interviews.

Genetic testing conducted a decade after the 11-year-old's horrific murder revealed that her killer, "Le Grêlé," had gone on to commit a series of rapes of a 26-year-old German woman, a 14-year-old girl, and an 11-year-old girl, according to the Daily Beast.