Fabienne Kabou (born 14 June 1977) is a Senegalese–French woman who was convicted of the murder of her 15-month-old daughter, Adélaïde, on 19 November 2013.
Apparently mentally ill, Kabou traveled to Berck with the intention of drowning the child and left her on a beach at night.
[3][4] She met a French sculptor 30 years her senior, named Michel Lafon, with whom she became romantically involved.
[3][4] Having experienced hallucinations and other mental conditions for years, Kabou spent €40,000 euros seeking help from "witchdoctors and healers" before the murder.
[6] On 19 November 2013, Kabou took Adélaïde by train to the coastal town of Berck-sur-Mer, where she checked into a hotel room.
[3] The authorities arrested Kabou in Paris a few days after the incident; closed-circuit television had captured her trip.
[3][4] A psychologist said that Senegalese traditions of witchcraft had "radically altered her view of the world", though the prosecution argued that this explanation was just a defense strategy.
[8] Documentary filmmaker Alice Diop, who attended the trial, was inspired to write and direct a feature film based on the case.
[9] Guslagie Malanda, who played the role based on Kabou, found being in character so taxing that she had nightmares for a year afterward.