The trial of Jean-Marc Reiser for the assassination of Sophie Le Tan is held from June 27 to July 5 before the Assize Court of Bas-Rhin in Strasbourg. After the disappearance of the young woman, the day of her 20th birthday, September 7, 2018, the man initially denied any involvement. Once the body was discovered in the forest of Rosheim and in front of the material elements, he ended up recognizing his involvement.
Justice considers that there was premeditation.
The obvious trail of Jean-Marc Reiser
On September 7, 2018, the day of her 20th birthday, Sophie Le Tan disappeared. She left her job to visit an apartment in Schiltigheim. Very quickly, the investigators determine that the individual with whom she had an appointment is Jean-Marc Reiser. The 58-year-old man, at the time, advertised to rent his apartment.
After further searches and analysis, the girl’s blood and her DNA are found in the apartment, but also on the suspect’s clothes and shoes. We will learn later, the DNA of Sophie Le Tan is also present on a hacksaw stored in her cellar. There are also traces on the washing machine in the bathroom.
Despite his denials, investigators quickly spot inconsistencies in his speech. Jean-Marc Reiser was arrested on September 15, 2018 and indicted for kidnapping, forcible confinement and murder.
A man with a disturbing profile
At the time of his arrest, Jean-Marc Reiser was a third-year art history student. The 50-year-old resumed studies upon his release from prison. He already has a long criminal record. His teachers speak of an individual of a certain smugness. The students who worked with him insist on its heavy and intrusive side.
But it is his former companions who will describe the portrait ofa violent man, capable of carrying blows. One of them, who twice filed handrails with the police, says that she “was scared” at the start of their relationship. Another explains how he once drove her away, threw her to the ground and beat her up, before taking her home.
Finally Gabrielle, a friend of his wife, files a complaint for rape and sexual assault. For this, he will be sentenced in 2003 by the Assize Court of the Côte d’Or in Dijon. He trapped her in her sleep, and took photos where we see her asleep, and naked, with sexual penetration by objects. When she woke up in the morning, she couldn’t remember anything. She may have been drugged. During the arrest of Jean-Marc Reiser, in June 1997, in addition to the photographs and the weapons, the customs of Morteau discovered drugs and a bottle of anesthetic.
Jean-Marc Reiser was also sentenced six times for theft, possession of weapons and narcotics. In May 2022, he was also sentenced for witness tampering to six months in prison. He sent a threatening letter to a former companion asking her to change her testimony before the assize trial.
The case that hovers over the trial
Another case hangs over this trial: that of the disappearance of Françoise Hohmann. In September 1987, this 23-year-old young woman, a vacuum cleaner representative, vanished. The last client she visited in a building in the Hautepierre district was none other than Jean-Marc Reiser. He will be suspected and even tried for intentional homicide in 2001, before being acquitted. The body of the young woman was never found.
What does Jean-Marc Reiser recognize?
If he has long denied his involvement, even after the discovery of the body of the young woman, in the forest of Rosheim on October 23, 2019, he still ends up confessing to having killed Sophie Le Tan, but recognizes the facts at a minimum. His statements will also evolve over the investigations and analyzes that will be made. It recognizes what cannot be scientifically denied.
In its latest version, he explains that he simply wanted to kiss the young girl, that she pushed him away. As she cried, he then entered “in a rage” and thrashed her, until she fell heavily towards the toilet bowl.
He then explains that he used the saw to dismember the body, and that he placed the body in two suitcases. He also admits having cleaned the floor for a long time. Three days later, he deposited the pieces in a pit he had located in the forest of Rosheim and covered the whole thing with branches and stones.
The premeditation in question
Jean-Marc Reiser appears for assassination, which means that justice considers that he committed a premeditated murder. She considers that there is no chance in her meeting with Sophie Le Tan. Jean-Marc Reiser posted several real estate advertisements, used multiple cell phone lines and false identities. For the prosecution, it isa real thoughtful ploy. She also considers that the unleashing of violence against the victim indicates the will to kill.
No one is ever safe from freaking out – Jean-Marc Reiser
From the different expertise, it emerges a narcissistic psychological profile by Jean-Marc Reiser. The man has a will to master the situation, he tends to put himself forward. He is also manipulative and denotes an intolerance to frustration. In case of contradiction, his reactions can be violent.
In contrast, he has no empathy for the victim. Finally, he does not hesitate to clear himself coldly: “No one is ever safe from freaking out” he will say to a psychiatrist.