We should not have placed too much hope in this hearing. However, it will be the only one, unless there is an appeal, that will allow us to unravel the many mysteries surrounding the murder of Magali Blandin. This 42-year-old mother was killed in February 2021 at her home in Montfort-sur-Meu, near Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine). Jérôme Gaillard, with whom she had four children but from whom she had separated for a few months, ended up admitting to killing her with two blows from a baseball bat on February 11, 2021, before burying her body in Boisgervilly, very close to her home.
Indicted for murder, this husband described as a tyrant who dominated his wife and had recently hit her, killed himself in November 2021 in his cell at Angers prison where he was incarcerated. His parents, accomplices in the murder and who had already lost their other son after a separation, also killed themselves in 2023 at their home in La Turballe. In a letter, they explained that they did not want to undergo a trial that they considered undeserved against them. This Tuesday, it was therefore without the three main defendants that justice looked into this extraordinary case.
“I just wanted to repay my cousin’s debt”
In the Rennes criminal courtroom, only two of the three Georgians indicted in this case are present. Zaza, the man accused of destroying the car used to transport Magali Blandin’s body, is on the run. His lawyer has not heard from him. As for the two men present, they will continue to minimize their involvement in this murder case. Tried for attempted extortion, the two men had been accused by Jérôme Gaillard of stealing 20,000 euros from him. A sum paid by the husband to have his wife killed. A death contract that was allegedly not executed and which allegedly “forced” Jérôme Gaillard to act himself. The man had explained that he could not bear the separation and the prospect of losing his parents’ farm but also custody of his children. The youngest of the two, who had received the murderer’s confidences, is also being tried for wilful failure to prevent a crime.
This Tuesday, the two men of Georgian nationality tried to explain to the court their role in this affair, trying, of course, to minimize it. And it is not easy. Severiani, who has difficulty speaking French, no longer has a lawyer. He is accused of having tried to blackmail Jérôme Gaillard during two meetings. “I just wanted to recover my cousin’s debt. I didn’t know anyone, neither Magali nor Jérôme, nor his parents, nor anyone. I didn’t know,” he explains, his body twisted. Uncomfortable, he does not seem to measure the magnitude of the case for which he is being tried. As the hearing drags on, he even seems to fall asleep, nearly falling off the bench on which he is sitting. In the room, Magali Blandin’s parents and sister sometimes nod their heads, understanding that they will probably not get the answers they were hoping for from the mouth of this man who is clearly overwhelmed by the issues at stake.
Giorgi’s interrogation may have given them more answers. This man, aged around thirty and who has already been convicted of extortion, knew Jérôme Gaillard well. “I met him when I got out of prison in 2019. He had hosted my brother. I wasn’t surprised when he called me, we knew each other well. He wanted to see me because he said he had found a client to buy my television camera.” A camera that had been stolen and which would serve as an alibi for this man to “blackmail” Jérôme Gaillard. Because as early as November 2020, he had heard him talk about his desire to get rid of Magali Blandin. However, he never told anyone about it. This is why he is being prosecuted for wilful failure to prevent a crime. According to Jérôme Gaillard, Giorgi even offered a hitman to kill his wife, which he denies. Instead of going to the police, he decided to record Jérôme Gaillard’s confidences concerning his plan to kill his wife, before demanding money from him to buy his silence.
Faced with questions, he collapses
More confident than his partner, Giorgi speaks very good French. He admits to having wanted to blackmail Jérôme Gaillard to get money back. “We thought he was guilty when we learned that Magali had disappeared. We wanted to take advantage of the fact that he owed us money. That’s why I blackmailed him. I know it’s not right.” The speech of this solid, broad-shouldered guy will break up as the president questions him, confronted with fluctuating statements. Then it will break down abruptly in front of the lawyer for Magali Blandin’s family. “Did you know Magali? Don’t you have any regrets?” asks William Pineau. The defendant collapses. “I couldn’t stop him from doing it, otherwise I would have done it.” He cries and takes off his glasses. “I didn’t take him seriously, that’s why I didn’t do anything.” “I didn’t want to cause trouble in the couple. For me, Jérôme Gaillard was not a thug, not a criminal. He was just a peasant,” Giorgi replies.
In his plea, Mr. Pineau castigated the defendant’s attitude. “This murder is not legally attributable to you. But humanly, sir, where are you? How do you see yourself? You have spoken with this man who was planning to die. But if you stand up and oppose it, maybe it won’t happen.” The defendant’s lawyer got carried away with this accusation. “A non-prevention of a crime cannot last four months. It is impossible, it is a legal contradiction,” hammered Mr. Antoine Ory, Giorgi’s counsel, believing that his client was serving as a “lightning rod” in a trial “that would serve as a consolation prize.”
The court sentenced Giorgi to four years in prison and declared him fully responsible for the damage caused to the Blandin family. The 34-year-old man will have to compensate Magali Blandin’s parents, sister and children. The attempted extortion charges were reclassified as attempted blackmail. Severiani was sentenced to two years in prison and banned from French territory for five years. Zaza was sentenced to one year in prison
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