A judicial investigation was opened for “intentional homicide by a spouse” after the discovery of the body of a 29-year-old woman killed in the night from Friday to Saturday in an apartment in Grasse (Alpes-Maritimes), the prosecutor said this Sunday. of the Republic of Grasse. The victim’s companion, who himself called for help after the incident and had to be treated for a stab wound to the neck before being placed in police custody, was presented at the end of the latter to an investigating judge with a view to his indictment.
One hundred and eighteen women were killed in 2022 in France by their spouse or ex-spouse, four fewer than in 2021, according to the report on “violent deaths within the couple” published on September 2 by the Ministry of the Interior. According to this study, 145 violent deaths within couples were recorded last year, 118 women and 27 men (+6 compared to 2021), almost the same total as the previous year (143).
A stab wound
“The prosecution requested his placement in pre-trial detention,” said prosecutor Damien Savarzeix in a press release. The woman was found “lying on the bed in a bedroom of the apartment” located in Grasse, a town near Cannes, he added, noting that she had “a stab wound on the neck and at the back of the head.
The suspect, a 34-year-old man with a clean criminal record, was the subject of a complaint filed by the victim in 2021 for intentional violence by a partner, the prosecutor said. “The victim withdrew her complaint during the procedure. The perpetrator had been the subject of a reminder of the law by an authorized association. Having participated in the measure decided by the prosecution, he benefited from a classification without further action,” he detailed.
During his hearing, the accused, presenting himself as “the only partner of the victim although not living with her”, indicated “having consumed alcohol and only having a confused memory of the events” , explained the magistrate. A next-door neighbor, declaring himself a “close friend” of the victim and placed in police custody for a time, was “quickly exonerated following the first hearings of those in custody,” he added. .