Just two years before, in February 1996, Belgians had learned about Marc Dutroux, the monster of Marcinelle. He was arrested with his wife for raping six girls, four of whom had died. His case was a worldwide story, and shocking details continued to emerge in the months following his arrest. Dutroux had already been arrested in 1985 for kidnapping and raping five teenagers, and although a court had sentenced him to thirteen years in solitary confinement in 1989, he was released in 1992.
