It’s a broken but united family. Tested but combative. Relatives of Martine Escadeillas, who died in December 1986 in Ramonville near Toulouse, have been attending the trial of Joel Bourgeon in front of the assizes of Haute-Garonne. This 59-year-old man appeared until Wednesday for the murder of this secretary-accountant who was 24 years old at the time. Facts he admitted in 2019 before retracting. The body of the young woman was never found. His three brothers and sisters, René, the husband of one of his sisters and Thierry, his spouse at the time, are civil parties in this case. They hope that the hearing will shed light on this case so that they can grieve, almost 36 years after the fact.
Jean, Nicole and Simone, the brothers and sisters of Martine Escadeillas are between 66 and 70 years old and still live today in the Toulouse region. Their parents died, in 1998 for the father and in 2000 for the mother.
“Our mourning is impossible as long as we have no body”
Nicole Saint-Blancat is one of Martine Escadeillas’ sisters. She is the one who will speak for the three siblings during this trial: “I chose to testify because our lawyer, Maître David, offered it to me, but also for my son, Pascal, who unfortunately died on March 9. He would have liked to attend this trial for his aunt whom he adored and whom he unfortunately only knew until he was 7 years old. So it was for Martine and for him that I wanted to do it. »
A trial that the family of Martine Escadeillas awaits for many many years and that Nicole Saint-Blancat called for: “These four days of hearing are, for us, a chance to know where Martine’s body is. _We’ve been fighting for this for nearly 36 years_. We are very tenacious: we won’t give up. So that’s what I’m waiting for today, with my family, my brother, my sister and my husband: to find Martine’s body and for justice to be done. We want her to have a decent burial and may she rest with our parents who died of grief. Our mourning is impossible as long as we don’t have a body. For 36 years, there have been ups and downs. There have been case closures and reopenings. Today we are still satisfied because the investigators have invested themselves thoroughly. For the moment the accused remains vague. But what we expect in the days to come are concrete answers. »
“Martine was a ray of sunshine”
Nicole Saint-Blancat fondly remembers her little sister: “Martine was the last of our siblings of four, she was our beloved little sister. She came every weekend to her relatives in the countryside. She was discreet, but always ready to help. It was a ray of sunshine. Our parents died without knowing what had happened to their daughter. But somehow, I tell myself that maybe it’s better this way: I think that in their minds, she was still alive, somewhere. But I am convinced that they died of grief, it was their last child, they suffered a lot. »
Joël Bourgeon’s trial resumes on Monday. The verdict is expected on Wednesday. They incur 30 years of imprisonment criminal.