Paris: A shocking incident surfaced from France, where a restaurant owner allegedly killed a man, chopped his body into pieces and then cooked parts of the victim's dismembered body in a pot of vegetables to cover up his crime. The accused, sixty-nine-year-old Philippe Schneider, killed Georges Meichler (60) in February 2023, reported The Telegraph.
Schneider is a former butcher. The victim reportedly lived as a recluse in a rudimentary house in a forest without electricity or running water. The entire matter surfaced when Meichler's daughter could not contact him, and then she started receiving text messages. From the language used in the text messages, the victim's daughter became suspicious.
She then alerted the gendarmerie about the disappearance of his father, reported The Telegraph. A probe was launched. Schneider and his partner Nathalie Caboubassy (45) were reportedly spotted driving the victim's car around the town.
The couple claimed to have moved to the region in 2019. Schneider sold a “magic potion” made with plants from his garden. The accused then opened a pizzeria called Don Filiippo in Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance, reported The Telegraph.
During the questioning, Schneider was reported to have confessed to his crime. Initially, the accused claimed that killed Meichler by mistake after a dispute. However, Schneider told the police that he had gone to Meichler’s home to steal cannabis and also took the help of a third suspect, Loup Benrakia. As per the report, Benrakia was a gravedigger.
The main accused further told the investigators that they tied up their victim and gagged him. However, after searching the house, they found that the victim had died. However, Benrakia denied his role in the murder.
Schneider allegedly took the victim's body to his place and waited for three days to destroy it. However, the accused then dismembered Meichler's body and, with a butcher’s knife and burned the organs.
After returning to the victim's home, the accused cooked his other limbs in a vegetable pot. He then burnt Meichler 's head and scattered the ashes at his property.
According to the report, Schneider is charged with kidnapping leading to death and concealing the corpse. Meanwhile, Caboubassy and Benrakia are charged with complicity. The accused was presented in the Aveyron court on Monday, May 19. The verdict in the case is expected to be pronounced on May 22.
