“It was not an accident”: Nordahl Lelandais recounts in detail the last terrifying moments of Maëlys

After 10 days of trial, he acknowledged all the facts with which he is charged. This Friday, February 11, after five hours of testimony and interrogation before the Assize Court of Isère, Nordahl Lelandais has finally recognized in extremis to have “voluntarily” killed Maëlys de Araujo, on the night of August 26 to 27, 2017, after kidnapping her. “I acknowledge all the facts with which I am charged.“, he declared, on questioning by his lawyer Me Alain Jakubowicz, who questioned him last.

“It is no longer a question of quibbling but of becoming aware of the seriousness of the facts you have committed. As far as Maëlys is concerned, we are not going to beat around the bush”threw his lawyer at him before reminding him that he was “prosecuted for having voluntarily killed. “Yes Master”, replied the accused in his cubicle. “Can we forget the word accident?”continued Me Jakubowicz. “Yes. It’s clear. I voluntarily killed Maëlys”, admitted Nordah Lelandais. The latter also admitted to having made the little girl get into his car and to have kidnapped her.

For the moment, the former soldier claimed to have killed Maëlys, but involuntarily, and that she had climbed into his car of her own free will. During his entire interrogation on Friday, and until the moment of the last confessions, he had also stuck to this version of the facts.

Nordahl Lelandais rejects the thesis of “sex crime”

During this day, Nordahl Lelandais also recounted in detail the death of the child. “Foolishly, I tell her “get in” and she opens the door”. “I had no bad intentions”he begins, before adding: “I tell myself that it will make him happy to see my dogs”. But the situation quickly degenerated. “On the way, it does not happen at all as it should have happened unfortunately. She begins to hiccup. A little cry. At that time, I don’t know what happened. I turned my head and I had this feeling, completely crazy, that no one can understand. I had this fear of what happened in April 2017. I kicked”he said. “Shame, remorse, guilt, I will have all my life”he added, before presenting naked again his “apologies” to the family. “We would like me to say that it is a sexual crime but not at all”, he continued. “I was not at all in this sexual perspective, far from it”.

Already sentenced in May 2021 to 20 years in prison for the murder of Arthur Noyer, Nordahl Lelandais faces life imprisonment for the murder of Maëlys. The third and final week of the trial is due to begin at 9 a.m. on Monday February 14 with the report of the expert psychologists. The verdict is expected this Friday, February 18.

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