The court of assizes in the southern French department of Var has demanded prison sentences of 22 and 18 years against a Frenchman and a Belgian woman. The two, who have been described as a “devil couple”, are suspected of having killed a man who was found charred in the trunk of his car.
The facts occurred in October 2018 in Besse-sur-Issole, about fifty kilometers from the city of Draguignan. Retired truck driver Henri Daurriat (78) and Belgian Chantal Delmarche (68) allegedly shot 51-year-old Marc Tari with a pistol.
The victim was then placed in the trunk of his Renault Clio and the vehicle was set on fire. The investigation revealed that the victim was hit by two bullets, but that he was not yet dead when the fire was lit.
Acting out of anger
During the trial, which started Monday in Draguignan, Daurriat maintained that he acted out of anger. The victim is said to have stolen a soldering iron from him four years earlier. He had gone to get the gun when a fight broke out between the victim and the Belgian woman.
Henri Daurriat is suspected of murder. Chantal Delmarche, who has denied involvement in setting the car on fire, is on trial for complicity in murder. One of the lawyers for the civil parties described them as a “devil couple” during the trial.
The verdict will be pronounced tomorrow.
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