Philippe Schneider, a 69-year-old French restaurateur and former butcher, has confessed to the murder of Georges Meichler, a 60-year-old recluse, during a botched robbery in 2023. Schneider and his 45-year-old partner, Nathalie Caboubassy, are currently facing trial for their alleged involvement in the crime. Meichler disappeared from his isolated residence in the French village of Brasc, and Schneider has reportedly admitted to law enforcement that he and Caboubassy were behind the man’s death during the failed burglary. Caboubassy, however, has refuted any participation in the crime.
Schneider allegedly provided investigators with a chilling account of the crime before confessing his deeds. He informed the judge that they had restrained and muzzled Meichler during the burglary. When they returned to the scene, they discovered him dead from suffocation. Schneider’s narrative of the events has reportedly evolved over time.
In a gruesome attempt to hide the crime, Schneider, who also worked as a pizza chef, dismembered the victim’s body, incinerated his head, hands, and feet, and dispersed the remains in the vicinity and inside Meichler’s own van, which they had stolen. Schneider also admitted to cooking parts of Meichler’s body in a vegetable stew, a method he claimed to have picked up during a religious ceremony in Nepal, to disguise the odor.
A 25-year-old gravedigger, also facing trial as an alleged accomplice, asserted that Schneider directed him to cook the meat until it “falls off the bone” and to inform anyone who asked that it was “food for the dog.”
Meichler’s daughter reported him missing after his former partner mentioned she hadn’t heard from him. She also received an unusual text message from her father, who seldom texted. The message indicated that he was traveling to Brittany with a friend for some fresh air and would see her upon his return.
Days later, police apprehended Schneider and Caboubassy in Meichler’s stolen van. Schneider claimed that Meichler had loaned them the vehicle, but police discovered 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 continues to assert her innocence.
Schneider’s attorney, Luc Abratkiewicz, stated that Schneider accepts full accountability 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.