Lyhanna case: suspect Jérôme Barella charged with murder and rape
A 41-year-old man has been officially accused of killing and raping an 11-year-old schoolgirl in the Gers department, following his earlier detention on abduction charges.
Lyhanna case: suspect Jérôme Barella charged with murder and rape
A 41-year-old temporary worker has been formally accused on Wednesday of murdering and raping an 11-year-old schoolgirl in south-west France. This new charge comes more than a month after the discovery of the body of young Lyhanna.
Gendarmes removed the suspect from his cell in Mont-de-Marsan, in the Landes, to bring him before magistrates in Agen. This was the first time he had been questioned since the body was found on 4 June at a farm near Puycasquier, in the Gers. Previously, he had only been prosecuted for abduction and unlawful confinement of a minor, charges for which he had been held in custody since 1 June, just a few days before the grim discovery.
Before investigators, the man in his forties briefly discussed his psychological profile before falling back on his right not to answer, the prosecutor's office said. The investigating judges then informed him of additional charges: wilful homicide of a person under 15 years of age committed with or preceded by rape, as well as a separate charge of sexual abuse of a minor. The maximum sentence is life imprisonment.
The man remains in pre-trial detention under strict conditions. He is being held alone in a cell and closely monitored due to a risk of self-harm. A check is carried out every thirty minutes to keep watch over him.
In a parallel case nicknamed "Rosa", the same individual is the subject of another judicial investigation for sexual assaults and repeated rapes of a child under 15 years old. According to an inspection document, the child stated she had suffered approximately fifty assaults by him. The victim's mother had filed a complaint as early as August 2025, without this leading to an arrest at that time. Here too, the defendant chose not to speak before being returned to prison.
In early July, a search was conducted at the suspect's home in Montestruc-sur-Gers in his presence. Officers collected several items that could be linked to the death of the schoolgirl, according to news channel BFMTV.
Source: La Libre
Additional source: RTBF
Source: La Libre