One of France's longest-running murder cases saw a shocking twist on Monday as the son of defendant Maurice Agnelet accused his father of murdering a wealthy heiress in 1977.
Agnelet, 76, is on trial for the killing of Agnes Le Roux, the heiress to a Riviera casino fortune, 36 years after she disappeared without a trace.
Agnelet, a former lawyer, was initially acquitted of the murder but convicted on appeal in 2007 to serve 20 years -- a verdict that was eventually overturned by the European Court of Human Rights.
At his retrial in Rennes on Monday, Agnelet's son Guillaume told the court that his mother had confided in him that Agnelet had killed Le Roux in Italy on a camping trip.
Testifying by video-conference from Chambery in the Alps, Guillaume Agnelet said his father had also confessed in the 1980s to knowing the location of Le Roux's corpse, later telling his son: "They must never find the body."
Guillaume Agnelet said he had remained silent for so long "for the good of the family".
His mother, Anne Litas, made no mention of the alleged confessions in court testimonies.
Agnelet has always denied committing the murder of Le Roux, the heiress to the Palais de la Mediterranee casino in Nice.
The body of the 29 year-old Le Roux was never found after she disappeared in a white Range Rover car in October 1977.
Agnelet had been having an affair with Le Roux at the time of her disappearance, which came several months after she sold her shares in the casino to a rival Italian company.
The money ended up in an account in Agnelet's name. Agnelet was initially the prime suspect in the case but produced an alibi when another mistress claimed he was with her in Switzerland at the time.
She later admitted she had lied and the case was re-opened.
A verdict in the latest trial is expected on Friday.
One of France’s longest-running murder cases saw a shocking twist on Monday as the son of defendant Maurice Agnelet accused his father of murdering a wealthy heiress in 1977.
Agnelet, 76, is on trial for the killing of Agnes Le Roux, the heiress to a Riviera casino fortune, 36 years after she disappeared without a trace.
Agnelet, a former lawyer, was initially acquitted of the murder but convicted on appeal in 2007 to serve 20 years — a verdict that was eventually overturned by the European Court of Human Rights.
At his retrial in Rennes on Monday, Agnelet’s son Guillaume told the court that his mother had confided in him that Agnelet had killed Le Roux in Italy on a camping trip.
Testifying by video-conference from Chambery in the Alps, Guillaume Agnelet said his father had also confessed in the 1980s to knowing the location of Le Roux’s corpse, later telling his son: “They must never find the body.”
Guillaume Agnelet said he had remained silent for so long “for the good of the family”.
His mother, Anne Litas, made no mention of the alleged confessions in court testimonies.
Agnelet has always denied committing the murder of Le Roux, the heiress to the Palais de la Mediterranee casino in Nice.
The body of the 29 year-old Le Roux was never found after she disappeared in a white Range Rover car in October 1977.
Agnelet had been having an affair with Le Roux at the time of her disappearance, which came several months after she sold her shares in the casino to a rival Italian company.
The money ended up in an account in Agnelet’s name. Agnelet was initially the prime suspect in the case but produced an alibi when another mistress claimed he was with her in Switzerland at the time.
She later admitted she had lied and the case was re-opened.
A verdict in the latest trial is expected on Friday.
