The Advocate General, Etienne Manteaux, requested, Monday, April 11, before the Assize Court of Doubs (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté) life imprisonment against Nicolas Zepeda, tried for the assassination in 2016 of Narumi Kurosaki, 21 years old, his former Japanese girlfriend, whose body was never found.
Earlier in the day, the lawyers for the civil parties had asked the court to recognize the guilt of Nicolas Zepeda, despite the denials of the Chilean, whom they describe as ” liar “. “It is the modest tears of the civil party that you must favor by condemning the one who is in the box, Nicolas Zepeda”pleaded Sylvie Galley, the lawyer for the family of Narumi Kurosaki.
On Wednesday, the heartbreaking testimony of the victim’s mother had upset the courtroom. Coming from Tokyo, Taeko Kurosaki had long expressed her pain, exacerbated by the uncertainty that remains about the fate of the young woman. When Mme Galley referred to the missing, “mute forever”Mme Kurosaki cowered; Since the start of the trial on March 29, she has been clutching a photo of her daughter carefully wrapped in a floral fabric.
“Narumi wrote on July 17, 2016: “Nicolas, I am so proud (…), you are definitely the best boy in my life.” Five months later, the best boy took his life.said M.me Galley. “Narumi’s death could have been.” (…) extend the list of feminicides”more “the disappearance of his body” changed the scenario “in absolute horror”continued the lawyer, in front of a large audience.
A “particularly emotional audience”
On the dock, Nicolas Zepeda remained impassive throughout the morning, he who proclaimed his innocence during the first nine days of his trial.
The “has full latitude to make Narumi Kurosaki say whatever he wants. We are not close to a lie, a denial, a contradiction in this file “lamented the lawyer.
“Liar, manipulator, toxic”, also accused Randall Schwerdorffer, lawyer for Arthur Del Piccolo, the French boyfriend of the Japanese student at the time of her disappearance. According to the lawyer, the Chilean perpetrated “a cold-blooded crime”premeditated, as seen in the purchase of a 5 liter canister of fuel and a box of matches before Narumi Kurosaki disappeared. “Mr. Zepeda is doing everything to hide his responsibilityhe regretted. Nicolas Zepeda’s hand did not shake and I would ask this Assize Court not to shake when it makes its decision. »
Forcefully or gently, all the actors in the trial tried to obtain a confession from Nicolas Zepeda, including his own lawyer. But the question remains: what happened to Narumi Kurosaki on the night of December 4 to 5, 2016, in this narrow room 106 of a university residence in Besançon? What has become of this brilliant young woman of 21 years?
This “audience particularly strong in emotions”, in the words of the president of the court, Matthieu Husson, on Friday, will not have provided an answer. Nicolas Zepeda has denied all responsibility for the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend. “I didn’t kill Narumi!” I want to know too! »he ended up screaming, in tears.
Extradited from his country in the summer of 2020, the Chilean will, as the rule requires, speak last on Tuesday, before the jurors retire to deliberate and render their verdict.