Overview
- For the first time, Frédéric Péchier answered questions about his background and temperament, showing rare emotion as he discussed his family and a 2021 suicide attempt.
- The 53-year-old, on trial in Besançon for 30 alleged poisonings including 12 deaths, again denied any involvement in the cases.
- He told the court he could not admit to crimes he did not commit and said he would have confessed if he were guilty to spare his family further pain.
- A day earlier, behavioral analyst Peggy Alliman delivered a three-and-a-half-hour presentation asserting Péchier matches a serial-killer profile, a conclusion not shared by the psychiatric experts who examined him.
- Defense lawyer Stéphane Giuranna challenged Alliman’s approach for not interviewing the accused, while she argued behavior can reveal more than statements and noted that France relies less on profiling than North America; a verdict is expected by December 19.