An unidentified man previously arrested for battery and assault has been arrested and is suspected of having murdered his former partner, whose body was found inside the boot of a parked car in a town near Charleroi.
The lifeless body of Aurelie Montchery, 31, was discovered late Friday afternoon in a car parked on Rue Emile Vandervelde in Bouffioulx, around ten kilometres east of Charleroi.
Prosecutors confirmed on Sunday at a press briefing that the suspect, in his 40s, was indicted and placed under arrest for murder.
An autopsy performed on the victim's body showed she had suffered multiple stab wounds and major head trauma caused by blows with a brick.
The victim’s ex-partner, the main suspect, was arrested while he was with relatives in Bouffioulx late on Saturday afternoon.
He had reportedly told an acquaintance that he had killed his girlfriend, and the friend then decided to alert the police and assisted the police in the discovery of the body.
The former companion was heard for the first time on Saturday evening by the investigating judge, with a second hearing was held on Sunday. The suspect admitted to having hit Montchery with bricks but denied that it was premeditated.
Charleroi prosecutors confirmed that the victim had filed a complaint for assault and battery against the suspect in September, which had led to the man's arrest.
A Charleroi judge had decided at its first appearance to maintain his detention but the man was released on 22 October he on parole by the investigating judge, who ordered him to have no contact with the victim.
The Brussels Times
