Almost five years after the death of little Maëlys, 8, Nordahl Lelandais appears this Monday morning before the Assize Court of Isère in Grenoble for a long-awaited trial, at the height of the immense wave of emotion who had seized France after the girl’s disappearance in 2017.
The trial promises to be exceptional in terms of its media coverage – some 250 journalists are accredited to it – and in its duration, the proceedings being scheduled for three weeks, until February 18.
Nordahl Lelandais, the enigmatic suspect, a 38-year-old former military dog handler, will appear for the murder preceded by the kidnapping and kidnapping of Maëlys De Araujo, on the sidelines of a wedding party in Pont-de-Beauvoisin ( Isère) on August 27, 2017, as well as for sexual assaults against two of his little cousins. The verdict is expected on February 18.
The village hall of Pont-de-Beauvoisin, where Maëlys had disappeared:
Follow the first day of the trial in partnership with The Dauphine Libere :
1:10 p.m .: Lelandais presents his “apologies” to the family of Maëlys
Invited to speak after the reminder of the facts, Nordahl Lelandais speaks in a strangled voice: “I would like to apologize, I did kill Maëlys, I did not want… I will explain myself on the facts during the hearing”
The meeting is suspended and will resume at 2:30 p.m.
1 p.m.: End of the reminder of the facts
The president lists the charges against the accused, invited to stand up: kidnapping, forcible confinement and murder. The murder charge was not retained, the murder of Maëlys not having been premeditated according to the judges.
12:05 p.m.: the court recalls the facts
After a short suspension of the meeting, the president proceeded to recall the facts. The indictment is 47 pages.
Reminder of the main dates of the case:
11:30 a.m .: No camera for the hearings concerning the sexual assaults against the little cousins of Lelandais
The court debates a possible closed session for the hearings on the sexual assaults of which Nordahl Lelandais is accused against two little cousins. Facts that took place a few weeks before the death of Maëlys. The president refuses the camera.
11:15 am: Maëlys’ parents expected at the bar on February 7
The provisional trial schedule indicates that Maëlys’ parents will testify on Monday, February 7, if there is no delay in the hearings. The married couple during the evening of the kidnapping of Maëlys will testify the next day.
10:50 am: Nordahl Lelandais’ brother refuses to come and testify
The president calls the witnesses. Nordahl Lelandais’ brother, Sven, is missing when he is due to testify on Wednesday, as is the accused’s ex-girlfriend, whom he met in prison. He sent a letter on January 12, recalling that he works as a seasonal worker and that he has “nothing to do” with his brother. The court orders that he be “wanted” to come and testify.
Nordahl Lelandais’s lawyer, Me Jakubovicz, justifies: “Sven Lelandais is a sick man, who because of his name had great difficulty finding a job. It is seasonal, cut off from the world, in a mountain restaurant”
Other witnesses are missing, including Nazim, a former friend of Lelandais, who testified during Corporal Noyer’s murder trial, or Farid C., Lelandais’ former co-detainee, who testified during the the investigation that the former dog handler had confessed to him of the rape and murder of Maëlys. The court also orders that they be sought.
10:20 a.m.: Six additional jurors
In addition to the six jurors scheduled for the trial, six additional jurors are drawn by lot due to the health context and the expected length of the proceedings. A woman drawn by lot asks to be excused, citing her “stress”.
In the end, 4 men and 2 women make up the jury. Ditto for the substitutes.
10:10 am: The trial opens in Grenoble
The trial of Nordahl Lelandais began this Monday morning around ten o’clock and for three weeks. The former dog handler is in the box and gives his identity. He wears a salt and pepper beard and a light shirt.
The president then draws the jury.
9:40 am: Maëlys’ father speaks on his arrival in court
Maëlys’ father arrived in court with several photos of his daughter. He said he wanted “the longest sentence” for Lelandais, “that we feel reassured to see him in prison”, even if he “does not expect sincerity from him”.
9:25 am: how will this first day go?
The hearing will start exceptionally this Monday at 10 a.m. The morning will be devoted to the drawing of lots for the six jurors, as well as the calling of witnesses and the reading of the dismissal order. In the afternoon, personality investigators should question Nordahl Lelandais. Maëlys’ mother will also be called to the stand at the end of the day.
9:15 a.m.: Maëlys’ parents arrive
Jennifer Cleyet-Marrel and Joachim De Araujo arrive in court, with a portrait of Maëlys in front of them.
9:05 a.m.: what is the risk of Nordahl Lelandais?
The former dog handler from Domessin (Savoie) faces life imprisonment for the murder of Maëlys, preceded by the kidnapping and sequestration of the child. During the trial will also be discussed the sexual assaults on two minor cousins of the accused, as well as the possession and recording of child pornography images.
Now 38, Nordahl Lelandais was already sentenced last May to 20 years in prison with a two-thirds security sentence for the murder of Corporal Noyer in April 2017, four and a half months before the kidnapping of Maëlys. . He did not appeal the verdict
8:50 am: who are the protagonists of the trial?
In addition to the accused, Nordahl Lelandais, the civil parties will be made up of Maëlys’ parents, Jennifer Cleyet-Marrel and Joachim De Araujo, Colleen, her older sister, her maternal grandparents, one of her aunts, one of his cousins and one of his cousins.
The families of the little cousins of Nordahl Lelandais, accused of having sexually assaulted them, have also joined as civil parties. Finally, there are the associations l’Enfant Bleu-Enfance Maltraitée and la Voix de l’enfant.
It is Valérie Blain, 55, president of the Assize Court at the Grenoble Court of Appeal, who will lead the debates.
8:30 a.m.: the public present en masse
according to The Dauphine Libere, Nordahl Lelandais left the penitentiary center of Saint-Quentin-Fallavier (Isère) to join the Assize Court of Isère in Grenoble shortly before 7 am. Several dozen people rush to the court hoping to be able to attend the proceedings.
8:30 am: welcome to this live dedicated to the first day of the Lelandais trial
Reminder of the facts
Maëlys De Araujo, 8, had disappeared during a wedding party at the Pont-de-Beauvoisin multipurpose hall on the night of Saturday August 26 to Sunday August 27, 2017. Around 3 a.m., her mother had given the alert and the guests had launched the first searches. The gendarmerie, notified an hour later, had triggered a large-scale device.
Very quickly, a man had intrigued by his behavior. A last-minute guest, Nordahl Lelandais, 34 at the time, had spoken with the girl during the evening and was absent at the time of the disappearance, placing his phone in “airplane” mode. He returned to the village hall shortly after, without participating in the search, before slipping away.
On September 3, he was indicted after the discovery of a DNA trace in his vehicle, but it took six months for him to confess and lead the investigators to the body, abandoned in a steep site of the Massif de the Charterhouse. He then admits to having killed the little girl “involuntarily” by striking her very violently in the face.