Three years in prison, two of which were suspended. This is the sentence to which a 28-year-old woman was sentenced on Wednesday by the Limoges Court of Appeal which found her guilty of having incited her ex-companion to throw herself from an overpass in 2019.
This pharmacist was confused by the discovery of nearly 6,000 messages in the phone found in the hand of the victim, a 44-year-old pharmacy technician. “It’s horrible, we are planning your suicide”, had notably written the ex-companion in one of these SMS. “I didn’t think I’d kill you but sometimes it’s the only solution,” read another. “Only 12 hours left and I will be released,” wrote the man before jumping from the Naves viaduct in Corrèze. The young woman replied: “It’s a long time anyway”.
His lawyers, Mes Balthazar Lévy and Martin Reynaud, deplored “the criminal qualification retained” against their client (provocation to suicide) because they believe that the victim “decided alone, freely and in his soul and conscience, to put an end to his days.” At first instance, the magistrates had underlined the “moral demolition” suffered by the forties with destructive messages.
A planned collective suicide
On June 7, 2019, a week before her suicide, the defendant had offered to “kill each other together” in order to seal their love forever. For Me Aurélie Pinardon, lawyer for the victim’s family, this sentence had “forged his determination and had led him to suicide”. A few days later, the young woman told him to give up suicide, especially after meeting another companion.
“It’s scheduled because you made me want to talk to me about it this weekend. I thought you would do it with me, we would have been reunited for eternity, so I thought about it, I’m sure of myself. So yes, I will have the courage to do it, ”replied the victim.
Before the investigating judge, the defendant had admitted having said to him on the phone “Go ahead, jump”. The father of two children had obeyed him and had then thrown himself into the void. At the hearing, the defendant expressed neither regret nor remorse. The victim’s brother said he was satisfied with the conviction on Wednesday.
“My brother was a square, stable person and his life changed when he met her. If we brought this story to justice, it is also for the honor of my brother, of his children, ”he explained.