Nordahl Lelandais again facing the judges

Nordahl Lelandais, who admitted to having killed in 2017 the little Maëlys De Araujo and Corporal Arthur Noyer, is again summoned before the judges of Grenoble this Tuesday. This will be his fifth interrogation, three months after giving details of the circumstances of the death of the girl, on the night of 26 to 27 August 2017. In front of the judges, last April, the former soldier had explained accidentally killing the 8-year-old with a blow to her face as she panicked. He had put forward similar explanations for the death of Corporal Walnut.

For the first time since the beginning of the proceedings, the lawyer of Maëlys' parents, Me Fabien Rajon, will be present at the interrogation of the former 35-year-old dog handler, still detained in a psychiatric unit dependent from the prison of Lyon-Corbas. "This is a request that I formulated given the position of the mis en cause, who has obviously refused to participate in the demonstration of the truth for many months," he explained to Figaro . As provided by law, the lawyer may, after the questions of the investigating judges, question the suspect, indicted in November 2017 for the murder of the girl. During the interrogation, defense lawyer Alain Jakubowicz will also be allowed to intervene.

For Me Fabien Rajon, this interrogation is a "rendezvous of truth" that could illuminate many gray areas. "To date, we can not exclude that the girl has been subjected to badual abuse (…) I add that the thesis of an accidental death of the child leaves us at least skeptical" he says, without wanting to say more. In early June, several media reported that the expertise carried out on the body of the child and his clothes had not allowed to affirm that she had been raped.

"Did he kill other victims in the family?"

If the interrogation must focus on the Maëlys case, it is also "very likely" that the former soldier will be questioned about facts about his grandmother, whom he is suspected of having badually badaulted. From this interview, "my customers who are upset await answers to their many questions," says Caroline Remond, the lawyer of parents. "What exactly happened that night? Why did he badault their child? Has he made other victims in the family? "She asks.

These suspicions of badual abuse emerged after the mobile phone badysis of the former dog handler. Among the files contained in the device, "a video on which a little girl is touched was found," reported early June a source close to the record at Figaro. According to the survey, the one-minute video was shot on the night of August 19-20, one week before the abduction of Maëlys, while the small victim and her parents, from the South , were on vacation at the parents' home of Nordahl Lelandais.

"The child has undergone forensic medical examinations. They clearly show that she was badually badaulted "

Caroline Remond

After badysis, the investigators were able to identify the 6-year-old girl as a cousin of the suspect and her parents were warned. "The investigators only showed them excerpts from this video, which had been previously erased by Nordahl Lelandais. They wanted to preserve my clients from certain pbadages. What they saw was a hand, an arm that pulls the pants of their little girl who was asleep, "explains to Figaro Caroline Remond, the lawyer of the girl's parents which states that the nature of aggression is beyond doubt. "The child has forensic expertise. They clearly show that she was badually badaulted, "she adds. Several elements and details noted by the investigators suggest that it is the hand of Nordahl Lelandais. At the beginning of June, the gendarmes in charge of the investigation carried out searches at the home of the suspect's parents, place of alleged aggression, to carry out verifications.

According to the lawyer, the child has no memory of the facts and is currently leading the "normal life of a 7-year-old girl". "But that does not mean that she has no trauma," insists Mr. Remond. "Her parents absolutely want to preserve her and maintain her anonymity," adds the lawyer who describes "devastated" and "traumatized" parents. "During my career, I have rarely seen such suffering in parents," says the lawyer. "They were on vacation with their cousins, they got along well with Nordahl Lelandais, at no time they had imagined that their little girl could be badaulted by their cousin," says Me Remond.

In early June, the couple whose identity was not revealed filed a complaint of badual badault on a 15-year-old boy and filed suit in early June. For this offense, the penalty is 10 years in prison. The interrogation could lead to a third indictment.