O-Bits: St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Edition

It’s Valentine’s Day, and you’re reading Obitmagazine.com. We figure you’re not here a Nicholas Sparks lovefest, and we’re happy to oblige you. Today’s O-Bits looks at two crimes of passion (and one crime against passion).

In France, the story of Jonathann Daval has been in the headlines. He is currently be custody, charged with strangling his wife, Alexia, 29. It’s been a tawdry  affair; Daval first insisted on his innocence, claiming his wife went out jogging and never returned. He  gave a tearful performance at a press conference, but three  months later was arrested, and confessed. Normally, that would be that. But in 2018, he’s become a political pawn, becoming a political pawn, the Alexia’s cause taken up by Marlène Shiappa, the country’s Minister of Gender Equality. She’s called out Jonathann’s attorney for victim blaming, after he claimed his client was “provoked” into killing his wife by her “overbearing personality,” which does seem a stretch.

How did a 39-year-old Malaysian man spend his Valentine’s Day? He killed his girlfriend. He must have had second thoughts, because once he was done, he stuffed her into his car, drove to the police station and confessed. He told the cops he did it in a fit of jealousy, he was convinced she was seeing another man. She was stabbed with a sharp object which the police found in the car. He’s currently under arrest; police have not ruled out a crime of passion.

Finally, McDonald’s restaurants in Scotland are doing their part to kill romance. In a Facebook post, the hamburger giant is offering a “McValentine’s Day” special: “Three courses of McValentine’s perfection for £20 per couple.” (Be sure to tip the clown on your way out.) We think that anyone who kills their significant other once they found out their Valentine’s Day reservations are at McDonald’s could argue justifiable homicide.

Steven Mirkin

Steven Mirkin’s diverse career has taken him from politics to pop culture to high art, offering him a front row seat to some of the most fascinating events and personalities of our time: writing speeches, fundraising appeals and campaign materials for Ed Koch, John Heinz and independent presidential candidate John B. Anderson; chronicling the punk/new wave scenes in New York and London; interviewing musicians such as Elton John, John Lydon and Buck Owens; profiling modern masters Julian Schnabel, Paul Schrader and Jonathan Safran Foer; and writing for TV shows including 21, The Chamber, Let's Make A Deal, and Rock Star: INXS.

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