Stéphane Burgatt (special correspondent to Alès), edited by Gauthier Delomez 8:18 p.m., February 2, 2023
The body of Sihem, an 18-year-old young woman, was found dead in a wood near Alès on Thursday morning.
A man in custody admitted to having killed her, and indicated the area where the body of the schoolgirl was.
The contours of the case are emerging, while the main suspect is known to the police.
It is amazement in the Gard.
The lifeless body of Sihem, an 18-year-old high school student, was found Thursday morning in a wood near La Grand Combe, not far from Alès where she lived.
The man suspected of having killed the young woman confessed, after having initially denied any contact with the victim, the evening of the murder.
In reality, the main suspect cracked when approaching his very last night in police custody.
He then indicated where Sihem's body was.
"It is unacceptable !"
The place of discovery is an area very close to that of his disappearance, explains the public prosecutor of Alès.
"The body of young Sihem was found last night (from Wednesday to Thursday) around 1 a.m. The place was relatively isolated," she explains.
The prosecutor reports that the man had indicated "to have killed the young woman within the framework of an argument related to their romantic relationship, even though they had found themselves, the night of the facts, in complete privacy".
>> Find Europe Soir in replay and podcast here
The young woman is described as a discreet, serious high school student, and was very popular in Alès and around the city, in these villages at the foot of the Cévennes.
"It's a shame that we did this to an 18-year-old girl," reacts Soani, a resident, who shows a deep sense of revolt.
"We are unhappy, it can happen to our children these days, we are safe from nothing," she says.
For this local resident, "even if it's an argument, (the suspect) didn't have to do that. It's unacceptable, it's not forgivable! Justice must be done for this person", she concludes with Europe 1.
A repeat offender
According to the prosecutor of Nîmes, the man "comes from families distant from the victim".
He is a 39-year-old chronic offender.
His criminal record shows 13 convictions, including a hefty 12-year sentence for armed robbery.
The man was also expected this week before the Assizes of Gard for theft with violence and forcible confinement, but the trial had to be adjourned.
Near Alès, villagers and relatives of Sihem continue to wonder about the fact that this multi-recidivist man was free.
In reality, all his sentences had been served, replies his lawyer Jean-Marc Darrigade.
"He was certainly going to be tried for another fact, but this one was very old, he was 11 years old. It is normal that after 11 years, someone goes to prison. We cannot remain in pre-trial detention during this period. It was normal for him to be free", he argues at the microphone of Europe 1.
A new judicial time begins to confront the statements of the main suspect.
There is also great anticipation surrounding the results of the autopsy which will take place next week.