The autopsy of the bodies allowed their “almost formal” identification, the magistrate announced on Tuesday. The death of the 22-year-old woman and her 21-year-old boyfriend “was probably caused by blows with a blunt object”.
The death of Leslie Hoorelbeke and Kevin Trompat is confirmed. The public prosecutor of Poitiers (Vienne) announced on Tuesday March 7 that the two bodies found in Charente-Maritime a few days earlier were indeed those of the young couple, who had been missing for more than three months. The 22-year-old and her 21-year-old boyfriend were last seen on the night of November 25-26, 2022, after spending the evening in Prahecq, a town near Niort, in Deux-Sèvres .
While the investigation rebounded last week with the indictment of three suspects, Cyril Lacombe took stock of the progress of the investigations during a press conference. Franceinfo summarizes what to remember.
The bodies found are indeed those of Kevin and Leslie
On Saturday, the prosecutor announced that two bodies had been “exhumed” during the excavations organized in Puyravault and Virson (Charente-Maritime), without their identities being able to be “formally established”.
Tuesday, at the start of his press conference, the prosecutor mentioned the “disappearance and now death” of the young couple. Cyril Lacombe then confirmed that “the first body discovered” was “in all likelihood, that of Mr. Kevin Trompat”. “He was exhumed in a field on March 3”, “dressed”. A “characteristic tattoo” identified him, he said.
The same observations were made for Leslie Hoorelbeke, whose body was “exhumed in a wooded area”, “about five kilometers away” from that of her boyfriend, “dressed” her too. “His identification is almost formal because of the presence of many characteristic tattoos”, said Cyril Lacombe. However, he clarified that DNA tests were in progress to allow “formal identification” of both bodies. The results will be known on Thursday.
“Blows” with a “blunt object” caused their death
The autopsies of the bodies, carried out on Sunday and Monday, made it possible to learn more about the causes of death. “The death was probably caused by blows with a blunt object”, said the public prosecutor twice. The first time to evoke the death of Kevin Trompat, the second for that of his girlfriend. Cyril Lacombe, however, did not specify what type of object it could be. None “lesion” or “trace of sexual assault” have not been noted, the prosecutor also pointed out.
The “motivations for taking action” to be “confirmed”
In this case, the investigators worked on three hypotheses: “A departure voluntary with the aim of changing one’s life”, “a disappearance after the coercive intervention of third parties in a context of drug trafficking” And, “Finally, the disappearance of the couple in a context of violent action by disillusionment in love and jealousy”. The first hypothesis was “quickly excluded”, declared the prosecutor, who recalled that, at the end of December, a judicial investigation for “kidnapping and forcible confinement without voluntary release” had been opened.
Investigations then turned to “tracks of work on the entourage of the couple”revealed Cyril Lacombe. “Changes in behavior” have been “Remarks”just like “contradictions”, which led to the arrest of three people, then to their indictment. The prosecutor also revealed that their hearings had identified the places where the bodies were.
Nevertheless, today, uncertainty remains about the motive for this double homicide. “The motivations for taking action remain to be confirmed: sentimental disappointment and/or financial debt”said Cyril Lacombe. “The various investigations that are continuing will tend to establish and clarify certain circumstances of this double homicide, even if the facts seem to have taken place in a reduced time frame.”