Philippe Schneider, a 69-year-old French restaurant owner, has admitted to the murder of a 60-year-old hermit, Georges Meichler, during a failed robbery attempt. Schneider, a former butcher, and his partner, Nathalie Caboubassy, 45, are currently on trial for their alleged roles in the crime that took place in 2023. Meichler vanished from his secluded home in the French village of Brasc, and Schneider has reportedly confessed to the police that he and Caboubassy were responsible for the man’s death during a botched burglary. Caboubassy, however, has denied any involvement in the crime.
Schneider reportedly warned investigators of the gruesome details of the crime before revealing his actions. He told the judge that they had bound and gagged Meichler during the burglary. Upon returning to the scene, they found him dead from suffocation. Schneider’s account of the events has reportedly changed over time.
In an attempt to conceal the crime, Schneider, who also worked as a pizza chef, dismembered the victim’s body, burned his head, hands, and feet, and scattered the remains in the area and inside Meichler’s own van, which they stole. Schneider also confessed to cooking parts of Meichler’s body in a pot of vegetables, a practice he claimed to have learned during a religious ritual in Nepal, to mask the smell.
A 25-year-old gravedigger, also on trial as an alleged accomplice, claimed that Schneider instructed him to cook the meat until it “falls off the bone” and to tell anyone who inquired that it was “food for the dog.”
Meichler’s daughter filed a missing persons report after his ex-partner mentioned she hadn’t heard from him. She also received an unusual text message from her father, who rarely texted. The message stated that he was heading to Brittany with a friend for some fresh air and would see her upon his return.
Days later, police located Schneider and Caboubassy in Meichler’s stolen van. Schneider claimed that Meichler had lent them the vehicle, but police found the missing man’s remains and blood in the back of the van. Schneider attributed his actions to an addiction to alcohol and cannabis at the time of the murder. Caboubassy maintains her innocence.
Schneider’s lawyer, Luc Abratkiewicz, stated that Schneider accepts full responsibility for his actions. Schneider is on trial for kidnapping leading to death, concealment of a corpse, and endangering the integrity of the corpse. Caboubassy and the gravedigger are both charged with complicity. A verdict is expected on May 22.