Where is Fiona’s body?
The trial of the alleged assassins of Fiona started on Monday. The accused are her mother and her step father in the assize Court in “Le Puy-de-Dôme”. Her biological father Nicolas Chafoulais wants to know where Fiona’s body is buried.
In 2013, Cécile Bourgeon and Berkane Maklouf were accused of killing Fiona, who was 5. In the first day of the trial, the couple confessed having beaten the little girl, but denied killing her.
Originally, Cécile Bourgeon reported that her daughter Fiona is missing, after an afternoon in a park in Clermont-Ferrand. Immediately, the police but also the population tried to find the child, and search her everywhere. Quickly, the police started to have suspicions against the mother, because of an inconsistent testimony, and declaration of witnesses. The police was intrigued by the behaviour of the parents, who were taking drugs, and who have searched on the internet “children missing”, just the day before Fiona’s disappearance. Because of Cécile’s pregnancy, officers wanted to wait before arresting her and her partner. After her arrestation, Cécile Bourgeon admitted that her daughter was dead, but said that it was her companion who gave the deadly blow. The couple found the body of the girl the next morning, and decided to put her in a bag, and buried her in a forest. However, Berkane Maklouf denied her accusation. The couple are unable to say where the body is.
The trial will last ten days, and the father, Nicolas Chafoulais, is waiting to know what exactly happened to his daughter, and where her body lies, to make his grief. The two accused risk 30 years of prison for “violence causing death without intent to give it”.
Julia San Martin, IEJ3F
English Blog IEJ 