The alleged perpetrator hit his concubine in the face in front of two witnesses, during a "very drunk" evening, on the island of Maupiti, in French Polynesia.

He was taken into custody. 

A stay-at-home mother was killed Friday evening (Saturday morning in Paris) with punches by her husband, on the island of Maupiti, in French Polynesia, and the alleged murderer was taken into custody, the channel revealed local Polynesia First.

A man "generally violent"

The alleged perpetrator hit his concubine in the face in front of two witnesses, during a "very drunk" evening, according to the mayor.

This evening took place at the home of the spouses, both aged 42 and parents of three children.

The firefighters tried to resuscitate the victim by practicing 40 minutes of cardio-respiratory massage, but Mélissa died on the spot.

The man admitted the facts but did not mention any motive.

"He simply said to me: 'Too bad, I will assume', he did not seem to have any regrets," the mayor of Maupiti, Woullingston Raufauore, who arrived there shortly, told AFP. after the drama.

Not far from Bora Bora, Maupiti is an island popular with tourists, best known for its turquoise lagoon where manta rays stay, and for its petroglyphs carved by the Polynesians of old.

"There are never any serious facts here, there has already been a murder of this nature, but it was more than 30 years ago", regrets the mayor.

However, he admits that the man was "generally violent and had also had altercations with the gendarmes".

Despite repeated domestic violence, neither the concubine nor her entourage had lodged a complaint.

At least 59 feminicides since the start of the year

The alleged perpetrator was taken by plane to Papeete, where he was taken into police custody.

The prosecution said it would request pre-trial detention during the deferral scheduled for Sunday.

The body of the victim will be autopsied at the beginning of the week in Tahiti, according to the prosecution.

This case brings to at least 59 the number of suspected femicides since the beginning of the year, according to an AFP count.

In 2019, 146 women were killed by their spouse or ex-partner, 25 more than the previous year, according to the latest official figures.