In March 2021, he confided to his general practitioner that he had killed his partner, with whom he had lived for twenty-five years, a few days earlier by strangling her during an argument. This 58-year-old man appeared Thursday before the Meurthe-et-Moselle Assize Court.
And he was sentenced to twenty years of criminal imprisonment. The court's decision is in accordance with the requisitions of the attorney general, who had pointed out the desire to kill of the accused.
The events occurred on the night of March 7 to 8, 2021, at the couple's home in Tucquegnieux (Meurthe-et-Moselle), a small town about a hundred kilometers north of Nancy. After confessing the facts to the police, the accused was escorted to the marital home and the agents discovered the lifeless body of Annick Bermand, 51 years old.
At the hearing, the accused did not deny the facts: “He recognizes them and regrets them”, according to his counsel, Samira Boudiba. The couple had shared twenty-five years of life together, more than “9,000 days”, as Mr. Boudiba pointed out in his pleading. And during all these years, “it was only her who was convicted” for acts of violence against the accused, the defense lawyer pointed out.
Looking at the ground and his face full of tears when the president asked him to speak before closing the debates, the accused wanted to “express his regrets, say sorry to Annick”.
