French Chef Kills Man, Then Chops And Cooks Dismembered Body In Pot Of Vegetables

A 69-year-old French restaurant owner has confessed to killing a man, chopping up his body and cooking parts of it in a pot of vegetables to try to cover up his tracks. According to the New York Post, Philippe Schneider, 69, and his wife, Nathalie Caboubassy, 45, are on trial for the 2023 murder of 60-year-old Georges Meichler. Schneider made the "horrific confession" to police after being tracked down following a missing persons report filed by the victim's daughter. He allegedly told the cops that he and Caboubassy killed Mr Meichler during a botched break-in at the victim's home. Caboubassy has since denied involvement in the murder. 

According to the Post, before sharing the details of the gruesome murder, the 69-year-old warned investigators that "what I'm going to tell you is horrific". He told the officers that the pair accidentally killed Mr Meichler when their attempt to burgle his home went awry. He said that they had tied the 60-year-old and gagged him, and after searching his home, they came back to find him dead of suffocation. 

Then, in a desperate attempt to cover up their tracks, the chef reportedly said he dismembered the victim's body, burned his head, hands and feet, and left pieces scattered throughout the area and inside Mr Meichler's own van. He also admitted to cooking parts of the body in a pot with vegetables at his home - a religious ritual he learned about in Nepal. 

A 25-year-old grave digger, also on trial as an accomplice to the pair, said Schneider ordered him to cook the meat until it "falls off the bones" and, if anyone asks, say it was "food for the dog". 

The case came to light after Mr Meichler's ex-partner raised the alarm because she hadn't heard from him. His daughter also said she received a strange message from her father, which was uncharacteristic, as she said Mr Meichler rarely texted at all.

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Police then launched a missing persons investigation, following which the police found Schneider and Caboubassy in Mr Meichler's stolen van. Initially, the pizza chef insisted that the victim had loaned them the van, but the cops quickly discovered the missing man's remains and blood in the back. 

At the time of the murder, Schneider insisted that he was embroiled in an addiction to alcohol and cannabis that pushed him to attempt the burglary. Ms Caboubassy, meanwhile, continues to assert that she had no part in the murder.

"Philippe Schneider acknowledges his full responsibility and all the facts he is accused of," his lawyer Luc Abratkiewicz said. 

The 69-year-old is currently on trial for kidnapping leading to death, concealment of a corpse, and endangering the integrity of the corpse. Ms Caboubassy and the gravedigger are on trial for complicity in the crime. The verdict is expected on May 22.