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Marc Lépine (October 26, 1964 – December 6, 1989) was a Canadian mass murderer who killed 14 women in what is known as the École Polytechnique massacre.

Born Gamil Gharbi, the son of a Muslim Algerian immigrant Liess Gharbi and Québécoise Monique Lépine, he grew up in a poor and extremely dysfunctional household in Montreal. His father was a violent alcoholic who brutalized his family; he and Lépine were divorced in 1976. When Gamil was 13, he changed his name out of resentment for Gharbi.

As a teenager, Lépine had difficulty establishing and maintaining relationships with females and over time began to blame feminism for his problems to the point that he developed a pathological hatred of women. He applied to join the Canadian Armed Forces but was rejected as unsuitable for military service and his application to engineering school was also turned down. Lépine came to believe that it was women who had robbed him of his rightful place in the education system, and in the world.

On November 21, 1989, Lépine purchased a Ruger Mini-14 hunting rifle at a local sporting goods store. On December 6, Lépine walked into the École Polytechnique de Montréal, an engineering school affiliated with the Université de Montréal. There, he ordered the males to leave, then shot a total of 26 people while screaming, "I hate feminists." Thirteen female students and one female university employee were killed, and eight more women and four men were injured before Lépine turned the gun on himself.

Lépine left behind a three-page letter claiming feminists had ruined his life. It also contained a virtual hit list of nineteen high-profile Quebec women whom he apparently wanted to kill, and expressed his admiration of Denis Lortie, who had killed three Quebec government employees in 1984.

Marc Lépine is buried in the Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges in Montreal, just a few blocks from where he committed his crime.

References in popular culture

• The Tragically Hip wrote a song entitled "Montreal" about the murders, though it has only been performed at a few of their live performances. A segment can be heard during the song Courage on their live album, Live Between Us. Lyrics and Explanation [1]
• Macabre wrote a song called "Montreal Massacre" about the events. Lyrics: [2]
• The Wyrd Sisters released a song about the massacre entitled "This Memory" on their album Leave a Little Light. Wyrd Sisters Official Site

External links

• CBC Archives on the Montreal Massacre
• Article about Lépine on Crimelibrary.com

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