At the appeal trial of Willy Bardon in Douai, the prosecution had requested a sentence of thirty years of criminal imprisonment, for "rape in assembly, kidnapping and forcible confinement" followed by the death of Elodie Kulik in 2002. The jurors followed the requisitions of the Advocate General this Thursday, condemning the man to thirty years in prison for the kidnapping, rape and murder of the young woman.
Willy Bardon appeared since June 12 before the North Assize Court of Appeal, always claiming his innocence, as since the start of the investigation nearly twenty years ago.
At first instance, in 2019 before the Somme Assize Court, he was sentenced to thirty years imprisonment for the same offenses, and acquitted of the count of murder.
Immediately after the verdict was delivered, he attempted to kill himself by ingesting a pesticide.
26 seconds recording
"It appears more than likely that Elodie Kulik", then 24, "was extracted very violently and against her will" from her damaged car, that night of January 10 to 11, 2002, and "taken" six kilometers away. , to be "raped, killed and burned", estimated the general counsel, Pascale Girardon, this Wednesday. "It is obvious" that rape was "the only, the only motive for this crime". “Thirty years is not even the length of Elodie Kulik's short life,” she added.
That night, Elodie Kulik returns home, drives at 60 km / h, "brakes for no apparent reason, slips, rolls over", and immediately calls for help, leaving investigators with a 26-second recording, chilling and "crucial. “In the case, recalled the deputy general Annelise Cau.
Despite the poor quality of the tape, "what is certain is that we will find a discussion between two men," she said.
Read alsoDid the accused Willy Bardon recognize his voice on the call made by the victim?
"Elodie's martyred body has designated a culprit": Grégory Wiart, whose sperm found on the victim was identified in 2012 thanks to a new DNA research technique. Died in 2003, he was never questioned, and the investigation then turned to his relatives, said Annelise Cau. But the call for help "has designated another", she assured, fixing Willy Bardon in the box. “What sets Willy Bardon apart is his proximity to Grégory Wiart,” added Pascale Girardon. But above all, "it is the recognition of his voice" in the recording, throughout the investigation, by several of his relatives.
