Fabien B., suspected of killing his ex-companion with a knife Thursday night in Montaigu-Vendée, was indicted and imprisoned Saturday, we learned from the prosecutor's office of La Roche-sur-Yon. The suspect, aged 40, was indicted Saturday morning for "murder on spouse" and then incarcerated, said the prosecutor's office to AFP, confirming information from the daily Ouest-France.
The couple, married in 2012, had been separated since 2021 and divorce proceedings were ongoing. Their 8-year-old daughter lived at the home of her 39-year-old mother.
This is where the facts took place on Thursday around 23 p.m. After the attack, the suspect had warned his parents that he "thought he had killed his ex-girlfriend," according to a statement from the prosecutor's office released Friday. They went to the victim's home and then called the fire department, for lack of response to their calls.
Two stab wounds
Arrested at his home, Fabien B. told during his first hearing of police custody, to have gone to the home of his ex-wife to "have a discussion with her on the exercise of the right of access". He said he stabbed him twice, one in the left arm and the other in the ribs, according to the prosecutor's office.
Their young daughter, present and asleep at the time of the facts, was taken care of in hospital.
Fabien B. was given a suspended fine in February 2022 for malicious phone calls to his ex-wife as well as invasion of privacy. He had also been the subject of a criminal order in April 2023 for driving under the influence of drugs and despite suspension of his driver's license.
The number of murders of women in the marital setting increased by 20% in France in 2021 compared to the previous year, with 122 women killed at the hands of their spouse or ex-spouse, according to the latest available figures from the Ministry of Interior. Of the women killed by their spouses, 35% were victims of previous violence by their partner.
