This file picture taken on March 17, 2014, at the court of Rennes, western France, shows Maurice Agnelet arriving to attend a hearing during his third trial for the murder of Agnes Le Roux. Agnelet鈥檚 son Guillaume accused his father of Le Roux鈥檚 murder on April 7, 2014 and the court pronounce Maurice Agnelet鈥檚 arrest. AFP
RENNES, France 鈥� Thirty-six years after she disappeared without a trace, France is again gripped by the mystery of the missing heiress and the playboy lover accused of killing her.
Maurice Agnelet, 76, is this week facing his third trial for the killing of Agnes Le Roux, a glamorous 29-year-old whose body was never found after she disappeared in October 1977.
Agnelet, a former lawyer, was initially acquitted of the murder but convicted on appeal in 2007 to serve 20 years 鈥� a verdict that was eventually overturned by the European Court of Human Rights.
His retrial in Rennes has seen shocking twists in the case, including an accusation from his own son.
鈥淭wo or three times I heard what I consider confessions from my father or my mother,鈥� his son, Guillaume Agnelet, told the court on Tuesday, testifying by video-conference from Chambery in the Alps.
Guillaume Agnelet, 45, said his mother had confided in him that Agnelet had killed Le Roux in her sleep during a camping trip in Italy and dumped the body by the side of the road.
He said his father had also confessed in the 1980s to knowing the location of Le Roux鈥檚 corpse, telling his son: 鈥淭hey must never find the body.鈥�
鈥淭his testimony will seal the split with my family,鈥� he said, adding that he felt he had to testify to avoid 鈥渞egrets to the end of my days鈥�.
In court, Agnelet said he was 鈥渇labbergasted鈥� by his son鈥檚 accusations and said Guillaume was suffering from schizophrenia.
鈥淚 think he is very miserable, his head is not right鈥�. I am innocent,鈥� he said.
After the testimony Agnelet鈥檚 bail was revoked and he is now being detained during the trial. A verdict is due in the case on Friday.
Torrid schemes, false alibis
Guillaume Agnelet鈥檚 mother, 72-year-old Annie Litas, made no mention of the alleged confessions in previous court testimonies and is due to take the stand on Wednesday.
Agnelet鈥檚 lawyer, Francois Saint-Pierre, said the testimony of Litas, who is long-separated from Agnelet, would be crucial to the case.
鈥淭he result of the trial will depend on her statement,鈥� he said, adding that he expected she would 鈥渟hed a lot of light鈥� on her son鈥檚 testimony.
Agnelet鈥檚 other son Thomas is also due to testify on Wednesday for the defense.
Agnelet has always denied murdering Le Roux, the heiress to the Palais de la Mediterranee casino in Nice.
Le Roux disappeared several months after she was at the center of a torrid scheme involving a hostile take-over bid of her mother鈥檚 casino.
Agnelet had seduced Le Roux and persuaded her to vote against her mother at a board meeting in June 1977 and allow the casino to be sold to rival owner Dominique Fratoni.
Money from the transaction 鈥� three million francs, worth the equivalent of about 1.7 million euros ($2.3 million) in today鈥檚 money 鈥� first went into a joint account in the couple鈥檚 name and later ended up solely in Agnelet鈥檚 hands.
Agnelet was initially the prime suspect in the case but produced an alibi when another mistress claimed he was with her in Switzerland at the time.
The woman, Francoise Lausseure, later admitted she had lied and the case was reopened.
Lausseure has requested to testify and the court is considering hearing her by video-conference from Mexico, where she now lives.
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