Five days after her disappearance, at the exit of a nightclub in Brive-la-Gaillarde (Corrèze), the body of Justine Vayrac was discovered lifeless and partially naked, near the property of Lucas L., the main suspect. In police custody, the latter confessed to having killed, then buried the young woman, after consensual sexual intercourse.
The young farmer was indicted, in the process, for kidnapping, rape and aggravated murder, and imprisoned.
The investigation continues, however, as many questions remain unanswered, and the suspect’s confession seems to say the least… minimalist.
Did Lucas L. premeditate his action, in particular, by drugging the victim? On the evening of the events, according to Théo, a friend of Justine, the young woman, suddenly nauseous, was convinced that something had been put in her drink… A drink, precisely, offered by Lucas L.
The autopsy, the results of which should be communicated soon, could clarify this point; even if traces of GHB, the famous “rape drug”, can quickly disappear in the body.
Why did Lucas attack the young woman? The suspect did not want to discuss the issue with the investigators. His lawyer speaks of a “drama on a background of alcohol”. Frustration, anger, or fear of being “reported” after a rape… There are many hypotheses. But will the suspect end up confiding?
On the course of the fatal evening, he was not very prolific. Thus, we still do not know how the young woman really found herself alone with him, and what she really suffered that night….
In the same way, the investigators wonder about the hours, and the minutes, which preceded the murder. Did Lucas L. take Justine Vayrac “by force” into his vehicle, or did the young woman, still conscious, get into her car of her own free will?
The two young people knew each other by sight, they had already participated in several evenings together. At Justine’s, that evening, her boyfriend was waiting for her… The young 20-year-old mother was “madly in love” with him, according to those close to her.
This undermines the theory, mentioned by the suspect, of a “consensual sexual relationship” with the victim.
The issue of rape is at the center of the case. Because in police custody, Lucas L. had first mentioned “a rape, under the duress of another man”, before retracting and confessing to a consensual sexual relationship with the victim, which would have taken place at his home.
If it turns out that Justine was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the events, the facts could be reclassified as “rape by surprise”, an aggravating circumstance.
Regarding the modus operandi of the crime, Lucas L. has just mentioned a fatal “punches”, which would have resulted in the death of Justine. The young man would then have buried the victim not far from his home, using an agricultural machine.
However, the first results of the autopsy, released Monday morning, contradict these confessions. According to the forensic report, Justine Vayrac died of strangulation, after being beaten.
The results of the blood tests are not yet known.
Another disturbing element: the alibi, put forward by the suspect from his first hearing. On the evening of Justine’s disappearance, he claims to have spent the night with another young woman, after having helped the young woman to vomit in the parking lot of the nightclub.
Théo, Justine’s friend, worried about not seeing her again, sends a text message to Lucas L. The latter replies “Let me finish” “I have other things to do than think about your friend drunk”, explaining being in the middle of a sexual act with another girl.
In the early morning, Lucas L. indeed contacts a friend, before going to pick her up and bring her home. In the suspect’s car, the latter claims to have heard a telephone ring several times.
At 6:17 a.m., the suspect makes a last call, a last lie, intended for Théo: Justine has just written to him, she is with a certain “Noé”.
A behavior that reflects a methodical coldness, and a determination to freeze the blood.
