Marie Trintignant murdered

Aug 2 14:26 UTC 2003

French actress Marie Trintignant died in France yesterday at the age of 
41.  She was the daughter of actor Jean-Louis Tritingnant and director 
Nadine Trintignant.  The cause of death was listed as cerebral edema 
resulting from head trauma.  

She had been in a coma for six days after being beaten by her 
boyfriend, a French rock musician named Bertrand Cantat, in Vilnius, 
Lithuania, where she was acting in a movie about the writer Colette.  
The movie was being directed by her mother.  Bertrand Cantat is still 
in custody in Lithuania.

Marie Trintignant's death is huge news in France.  There has been a 
national outpouring of grief, Jacques Chirac read a message of 
condolence to the nation, it's all over the papers and TV news.  The 
story hasn't made much of a ripple in the US yet.