Nordahl Lelandais admitted, Friday, February 11, during his trial for the murder of little Maëlys De Araujo, having worn “deliberate blows” to the little girl, but without the intention of killing her or sexually assaulting her.
“The blows were intentional, it was not an accident. But I had no intention of killing him.”he said, crying, during his interrogation, on the tenth day of his trial before the Assize Court of Isère.
According to him, the child, aged 8, met at a wedding in Pont-de-Beauvoisin (Isère) in August 2017, had a few brief contacts with him during the evening, then joined him in the parking lot. as he was regarding to drive off to look for cocaine.
“I kicked”
“And, stupidly, I tell her get in, and she opens the door”he said. “I recognize, it’s crazy, it’s completely crazy, I had no bad intentions”added Nordahl Lelandais. “I’m going home, I’m going to get some cocaine, I tell myself that it will make him happy to see my dogs”he said to explain the presence in his car of this little girl he did not know.
“There, on the way, things don’t happen at all as they should have happened, unfortunately”he continued. “She started hiccuping. […] I turned, I kicked. » ” I do not know what happened. But it was me, of course it was me who did it”he said, presenting once once more his « excuses » to the family.
“We would like me to say that it is a sexual crime, but not at all”added the former soldier. “I was not at all in this sexual perspective, far from it. »
“I know I will be sentenced heavily, I deserve this sentence, of course. I accept it, because there is a family opposite who is sorry to have lost a little girl.did he declare.