The case, which has stirred public debate in France, returned to court this week after prosecutors appealed a previous ruling they considered too lenient. In October 2024, 33-year-old Emilie G. was handed a five-year suspended sentence after admitting to the crime and describing it as a mercy killing.
At the appeal hearing before the Ain Assize Court in Bourg-en-Bresse on Wednesday, lead prosecutor Eric Mazaud challenged the defendant’s narrative, saying the elderly man died in agony, not peace.
“He did not die peacefully. This was not an act of love,” Mazaud told the court. “When you love someone, you don’t burn them.”
The victim, whose name was not released publicly, died in August 2020 from severe burns and smoke inhalation after Emilie poured gasoline on his mattress and lit it on fire. She fled the room immediately after.
During the appeal hearing, Emilie expressed remorse and acknowledged the horror of her actions.
“He did not have a death worthy of his life… Fire is atrocious, itis inhuman,” she told the court.
She claimed her grandfather had repeatedly asked her to end his life due to the pain and indignity of his condition, including being found lying in his own waste. However, she never shared this with other family members.
A psychiatric evaluation submitted during the initial trial revealed that Emilie was in a “dissociative state” at the time of the killing, which likely impaired her judgment. Experts also diagnosed her with depression.
The court heard that Emilie had been under immense emotional strain while serving as her grandfather’s caregiver, raising her children, and managing a crumbling romantic relationship. The situation reportedly worsened on the day of the killing, when her partner admitted to being unfaithful.
Prosecutors argue the crime was not motivated by compassion but by a need to release personal frustration.
“She set the fire to exorcise her failures,” said prosecutor Romain Ducrocq in the original trial.
Despite this, many of Emilie’s relatives have remained supportive, calling her actions a display of courage.
Prosecutors are now asking for the same 15-year prison term they had sought during the first trial. The court is expected to deliver a verdict in the coming days.
