The trial of an American mother and son accused of incredible attempts to assassinate the French father, against the backdrop of cases of inheritance and family money, opened on Monday May 9 before the Court of assizes of Paris.
Read alsoAn American mother and son tried in Paris for incredible assassination attempts on the French father
In the box, June Hopkins, 60, and her son Brendan Walsh, 30.
They are suspected of having spied on the latter's father, Grégoire L., for months and of having attempted twice to assassinate him.
June Hopkins, white tunic, heavy braid of hair in the back, listens via the interpreter the president recall the facts, shaking her head regularly, a constant smile on her face.
Beside her stands her son Brendan, pale-faced and white-shirted.
In front of them, Brendan's father, Grégoire L., 57, fleece jacket on his back, big gray beard, looks tried.
“I wanted to try to have a real family”
Grégoire L. and June Hopkins had met in 1990 on board an Orient-Express.
She quickly becomes pregnant but leaves directly for the United States, where she is married to an American but as part of a “
free
” couple.
A year later, she returns and falls pregnant again with Grégoire L., then leaves again, reports the president at the hearing.
"
I'll tell you sincerely, it's something that questions you
," she told him.
"
The truth is that when I was 5 months pregnant with Brendan, Grégoire threw me out
," she says.
Why then would she have come back a year later?
"
I wanted to try to have a real family
," says the sixty-year-old.
“
What is surprising, insists the president, is that we found letters where you seem to refuse a marriage proposal
”.
"
Grégoire threatened me, said that if I didn't abort the same day, he would do it himself with a scalpel
", maintains June Hopkins.
Read alsoDismissal of the trial of an American mother and son for the attempted assassination of the French father
The American had then resumed contact with the family of Grégoire L. at the time of the death of the father of the latter.
His family suspects them of having returned in this way to try to recover a supposed inheritance.
In 2010, then in 2015, June Hopkins and her son allegedly attacked Grégoire L. and attempted to assassinate him - the first time using a "
Japanese sword
" and gasoline, the second by pursuing him in the street before trying to strangle him.
An "
obsessive
" project matured behind closed doors, after having spied on and harassed Grégoire L. for months, had described the investigators.
Both deny the facts.
The verdict is expected Friday.
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