In Colmar (Haut-Rhin),
An emaciated face and this gray t-shirt in which he seems to be swimming… Where is this man often presented as impressive? Jean-Marc Reiser appeared quite weakened, this Tuesday in Colmar, on the first day of his appeal trial for the murder of Sophie Le Tan in 2018. Even more affected, in any case, than a year ago during his first instance appearance. The effect, certainly, of nearly five years in solitary confinement in Strasbourg prison.
But behind the appearance, the sexagenarian (62) has not changed in his attitudes. In his glass box, surrounded by four police officers, he once again appeared very concentrated during the hearing. Calm, busy taking notes and raising his head from time to time in the direction of the audience as if to greet with a wave of the hand the only person of his family present, his sister Christiane.
Above all, always ready to intervene when the floor is given to him. “I have no observations Madam President,” he politely said several times before saying more about his state of mind.
Sophie Le Tan’s mother collapses
Shortly before noon, when President Christine Schlumberger had just finished reading nearly an hour and a half of her report on the case, “I would like to say something”, begins the accused, convicted of murder and sentenced to the maximum sentence last summer. “I recognize the violence. That’s not what I came to challenge, I came to challenge premeditation and criminal intent, he continues in a clear voice. There are many elements that absolutely do not correspond to reality. There were many shortcuts made. I hope this trial will shed some light and clarify that. »
His usual interlocutor then questions him on his choice to appeal the first judgment. “I would not have done it if the premeditation had not been retained, he insists, thus refuting the thesis of the assassination. I regret for the family. I didn’t want to subject them to the reading of the facts a second time. “During which, precisely, the mother of Sophie Le Tan first collapsed in the arms of the cousin of the victim. Then she had to leave the sultry courtroom when sordid details of the discovery of her daughter’s body came up. Sophie Le Tan was found dismembered in the Grendelbruch forest in October 2019.
“She called me a dirty pig”
“There was no homicidal intent,” insisted Jean-Marc Reiser, giving his version of September 7, 2019. “I had just got up, it was maybe 9:30 a.m. We went to the apartment to visit it. Then, before leaving, she wanted to go to the bathroom. She asked me for a towel, we discussed. There, I took her hand, I don’t know why, I wanted to give her a kiss. She misunderstood my intentions. She called me a dirty pig and insulted me. »
It is from that moment, according to him, that the debates would have “degenerated”. “I slapped her, she screamed and then I lost control. I punched her to shut up. She fell like a mass. I couldn’t revive her. I didn’t know what to do for an hour or two. Given my criminal record, I preferred to make the body disappear. I was pissed off, I didn’t know how to get rid of it. I went to get a large suitcase but the body wouldn’t fit. The idea came to me to dismember it. I put it in the cellar, I didn’t want to touch it anymore. »
At the end of this frightening story pronounced without the slightest emotion, Jean-Marc again repeated his regrets to the relatives of the victim: “I apologize to the family. There was never any premeditation. Intentionality will be at the heart of the debates over the next few days. This appeal trial should last about ten, until Thursday, June 29.