Marc Lépine
Canadian mass murderer (1964-1989)
Marc Lépine (French: [maʁk lepin]; born Gamil Rodrigue Liess Gharbi; October 26, 1964 – December 6, 1989) was a Canadian mass murderer who perpetrated the École Polytechnique massacre, where he murdered 14 women and wounded another 10 women and four men at École Polytechnique de Montréal, on December 6, 1989.
Lépine was born in Montreal, Quebec, to French Canadian nurse Monique Lépine and Algerian businessman Rachid Gharbi, who was abusive towards Lépine. After his parents separated when he was seven, his mother returned to nursing to support her children. Lépine and his younger sister lived with other families who cared for them during the week, only seeing their mother on weekends. Lépine was considered bright but withdrawn, and he had difficulties with peer and family relationships. At the age of 14, he changed his name, giving "hatred of his father" as the reason.
Lépine's application to the Canadian Forces was rejected. In 1982 he began a science program at a college, switching to a more technical program after one year. In 1986 he dropped out of the course in his final term, and was subsequently fired from his job at a hospital due to his poor attitude. Lépine began a computer programming course in 1988, and again abandoned it before completion.
The public source identifies “Marc Lépine” as canadian mass murderer (1964-1989). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Marc, Lépine and Canadian.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Marc Lépine”, the useful work is to connect “canadian mass murderer (1964-1989)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q575023. VIAF identifies the subject as 28713405. The Library of Congress control number is n91082277. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1964, 1989, 1982 and 1986.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Marc Lépine”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Marc Lépine primary sources, Marc Lépine archive and Marc research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Marc Lépine”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Marc Lépine” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.