Lyhanna case: rape confirmed, suspect charged with murder and sexual assault on minor
The forensic examination of the 11-year-old schoolgirl found dead in the Gers attests to sexual abuse suffered. The arrested man now faces charges for homicide and sexual assault on a person under 15 years old.
Lyhanna case: rape confirmed, suspect charged with murder and sexual assault on minor
The forensic examination of Lyhanna, 11 years old, found dead in early June in an abandoned structure in the Gers, does not make it possible to establish with certainty the exact circumstances of death. It does, however, attest to the sexual abuse suffered by the child.
The victim's relatives were informed of the contents of the document on Tuesday 23 June, her lawyer François Roujou de Boubée clarified. The schoolgirl's disappearance had preceded by several days the discovery of her body. The latter was transported by air to the laboratories of the IRCGN, located in the Paris region, where three specialists in forensic medicine examined it.
According to the prosecution's conclusions from Agen's court, marks from cordage were found on the upper and lower limbs of the child. When discovered, no physical restraints were any longer visible. Oral lesions were also identified.
These findings led magistrates to requalify the charges against the man in detention, Jérôme Barella. He now faces charges for homicide and sexual assault on a person under 15 years old, charges which carry a sentence of life imprisonment. Further forensic examinations in histology and toxicology are necessary to attempt to clarify the conditions of death.
Source: France Inter
Source: Radio France - Justice