logo
The horrific case of a French chef who killed a man and then cooked him

The horrific case of a French chef who killed a man and then cooked him

First Post20-05-2025

A French pizza chef, Philippe Schneider, 69, is currently on trial along with his partner Nathalie Caboubassy, for the gruesome murder of their recluse neighbour, Georges Meichler. The couple allegedly killed the man during a failed break-in at his home and then dismembered and cooked parts of his body with vegetables to hide the odour read more
Philippe Schneider, 69, is currently on trial in the Aveyron region, along with his 45-year-old partner Nathalie Caboubassy, for the gruesome 2023 murder of Georges Meichler. Image courtesy: X
In a barbaric case that has stirred horror in France , a pizza chef has admitted to killing his reclusive neighbour, dismembering the body, and cooking parts of it in a pot with vegetables.
Philippe Schneider, 69, is currently on trial in the Aveyron region, along with his 45-year-old partner Nathalie Caboubassy, for the gruesome 2023 murder of Georges Meichler. Meichler, 60, had been living alone in the quiet, remote village of Brasc in southern France.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
According to The Telegraph, Schneider, who previously worked as a butcher, allegedly confessed to police that he and Caboubassy killed Meichler during a failed break-in at the victim's home. While Schneider has admitted to the killing, Caboubassy has denied any involvement.
Here's how this horrifying murder unfolded.
A suspicious message
The victim, Georges Meichler, lived as a recluse in a small stone house in the middle of a forest without electricity or running water. His sudden disappearance quickly raised concern in the small community.
Neighbours noticed his absence, and suspicion deepened when Meichler's daughter received strange text messages that didn't sound like him. 'It wasn't like him to text,' she told investigators.
One such message read: 'Hi. I'm heading to Brittany with a friend. Get some fresh air and see the country. See you when I get back. Have a nice day.'
Soon after, police launched a missing persons investigation in Brasc and began door-to-door enquiries. A local resident told authorities they had spotted two people driving around in Meichler's van.
Following the lead, police traced the movements and phone activity of the restaurateur couple.
The van was eventually found parked outside a council building about 38 km from Brasc, with Schneider and Caboubassy at the wheel.
The duo, who reportedly identified as druids, had moved to the region in 2019. Schneider, known locally for selling 'magic potions' made from garden plants at a sex shop, later opened a pizzeria named Don Filiippo in Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
At first, the couple claimed that Meichler had lent them the van while he was away on holiday and had asked them to care for his animals. But their story quickly began to unravel.
According to The Sun, investigators discovered bloodstains and several bags filled with human remains inside the vehicle, leading to the chilling realisation that something far more sinister had occurred.
A 'horrific confession'
Schneider, the man at the centre of the gruesome murder case, reportedly made a 'horrific confession' to investigators.
'What I'm going to tell you is horrific, it's going to be difficult to hear,' Schneider warned, before revealing what had happened to Georges Meichler.
The couple had gone to Meichler's home to steal cannabis. During the break-in, Schneider tied up and gagged Meichler. When they returned, Meichler had died of suffocation. Image for Representation. Pixabay
He told the investigating judge that he and his partner, Nathalie Caboubassy, had gone to Meichler's home to steal cannabis. During the break-in, Schneider tied up and gagged Meichler. When they returned after searching the house, Meichler had died of suffocation — at least according to Schneider's latest version of events.
Earlier, he had claimed that the death was accidental and happened during a dispute. His story shifted several times throughout the investigation. Caboubassy, on the other hand, consistently denied any involvement in the crime, The Telegraph reported.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
A shocking cover-up
To cover up the killing, Schneider said he dismembered Meichler's body, burned the head, hands, and feet, and left other parts scattered around, including in Meichler's own van, which the couple used to flee.
In one of the most disturbing details, Schneider reportedly said he tried cooking parts of the body in a pot of vegetables. This was, he claimed, part of a religious ritual he'd learned in Nepal, and also a way to mask the smell.
Schneider reportedly said he tried cooking parts of the body in a pot of vegetables. This was, he claimed, part of a religious ritual he'd learned in Nepal, and also a way to mask the smell. AI generated representative image
A 25-year-old gravedigger, now also on trial for complicity, testified that Schneider told him to cook the meat until it 'fell off the bone' and to tell others it was 'food for the dog' if questioned.
Schneider's lawyer, Luc Abratkiewicz, said his client accepts full responsibility. 'At the time, he lived a life of alcohol, drugs, and then this completely crazy idea of going to burgle his neighbour. He gags him. It goes badly, he dies… He made a serious mistake,' he said.
'Afterward, he continued to sink into absurdity and horror, because the fact of having cut up this corpse is going to cost them dearly,' the lawyer added.
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 facing charges of complicity.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The verdict is expected on May 22.
With input from agencies

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Gaza-bound ship seized: 'Five French activists to face Israeli justice'; one returns voluntarily
Gaza-bound ship seized: 'Five French activists to face Israeli justice'; one returns voluntarily

Time of India

time2 hours ago

  • Time of India

Gaza-bound ship seized: 'Five French activists to face Israeli justice'; one returns voluntarily

Israel seized Gaza-bound boat (Image credits: AP) Five French activists detained by Israeli forces on a Gaza-bound aid ship are set to appear before an Israeli judge, France's foreign minister said on Tuesday. "Our consul was able to see the six French nationals arrested by the Israeli authorities last night," foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot wrote in a post on X. "One of them has agreed to leave voluntarily and should return today. The other five will be subject to forced deportation proceedings,' the minister added. The activists were aboard the Madleen , a boat carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, when it was intercepted in international waters and redirected to the Israeli port of Ashdod. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was also among the 12 international volunteers who were detained. Organizers said the group was attempting to deliver much-needed aid to Gaza when Israeli forces boarded their ship. After reaching Israel, the detainees were given medical checkups. The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed their detention. Defence minister Yoav Gallant stated the activists were shown footage of the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel.

Frederick Forsyth, author of The Day of the Jackal, dies at 86: here are 5 books that made him legend
Frederick Forsyth, author of The Day of the Jackal, dies at 86: here are 5 books that made him legend

Indian Express

time3 hours ago

  • Indian Express

Frederick Forsyth, author of The Day of the Jackal, dies at 86: here are 5 books that made him legend

Frederick Forsyth, the master of the modern geopolitical thriller and a former spy whose novels reshaped popular fiction, has died at 86. He passed away on Monday at his home in Jordans, Buckinghamshire, after a short illness, his literary agent confirmed. A one-time RAF pilot, foreign correspondent, and covert MI6 operative, Forsyth turned real-world experience into literary gold. His debut novel, The Day of the Jackal (1971), became an instant classic. It set a new standard for the political thriller and sold millions, propelling Forsyth to international fame. Over five decades, Forsyth published 14 novels, many of them bestsellers, and sold over 75 million copies worldwide. His books were frequently adapted for the screen, and his name became synonymous with the kind of storytelling that merged fact and fiction. He called himself a journalist first. Fiction, he once claimed, was something he turned to only when broke and out of work. But in doing so, he reshaped the genre, and inspired a generation of writers, intelligence professionals, and even policymakers. If you've never read Frederick Forsyth, or are ready to revisit his work, these five titles are essential to understanding his legacy: Forsyth's groundbreaking debut follows a nameless, meticulous assassin hired to kill French President Charles de Gaulle. The brilliance lies in its structure: readers know the attempt will fail (de Gaulle lived), yet every page hums with tension. Forsyth's almost documentary-style detailing of fake passports, custom rifles, and surveillance methods changed the thriller genre forever — and earned the grudging respect of real-world intelligence agencies. Still one of the most influential thrillers ever written. Set in postwar Germany, this taut thriller follows a young reporter who stumbles onto a conspiracy to protect fugitive Nazi war criminals, specifically a shadowy group called ODESSA. The plot leads him to Eduard Roschmann, the real-life 'Butcher of Riga.' Forsyth merges fiction with investigative journalism to chilling effect. The novel is a meditation on complicity, memory, and justice in a post-Holocaust world. Its real-world impact was so profound that Roschmann was identified and forced to flee after the book's release. Inspired by Forsyth's first-hand reporting in Africa, this novel offers a clinical, unflinching look at the mechanics of modern mercenary warfare. A British tycoon hires soldiers of fortune to overthrow an African regime for access to its mineral wealth. What sets the book apart is Forsyth's painstaking breakdown of how coups are planned: the logistics, arms deals, and moral gray zones. It's a brutal story of neo-colonialism, corporate greed, and moral compromise. Set during the final years of the Cold War, this high-stakes espionage thriller imagines a Soviet plot to smuggle a nuclear device into Britain in order to sway a national election. British intelligence must race to uncover the plan before it triggers catastrophe. Forsyth deftly blends real-world politics, spycraft, and ideological paranoia. With a cast that includes a disillusioned MI5 officer, Soviet hardliners, and political saboteurs, this novel is a Cold War chess game with a radioactive clock ticking down. Set in the lead-up to and during the Gulf War, this meticulously researched novel follows the hunt for Iraq's secret superweapon, known only as 'The Fist of God.' Combining historical events with fictional characters — including a British SAS operative undercover in Baghdad — Forsyth weaves military intelligence, espionage, and diplomacy into a tightly wound narrative. The book's authenticity stems from Forsyth's deep dive into the world of special operations, and it remains one of the most authoritative thrillers on modern warfare.

Frederick Forsyth, author of book 'Day of the Jackal', passes away at 86
Frederick Forsyth, author of book 'Day of the Jackal', passes away at 86

Business Standard

time4 hours ago

  • Business Standard

Frederick Forsyth, author of book 'Day of the Jackal', passes away at 86

Frederick Forsyth, the British author of The Day of the Jackal" and other bestselling thrillers, has died after a brief illness, his literary agent said Monday. He was 86. Jonathan Lloyd, his agent, said Forsyth died at home early Monday surrounded by his family. We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers," Lloyd said. Born in Kent, in southern England, in 1938, Forsyth served as a Royal Air Force pilot before becoming a foreign correspondent. He covered the attempted assassination of French President Charles de Gaulle in 1962, which provided inspiration for The Day of the Jackal, his bestselling political thriller about a professional assassin. Published in 1971, the book propelled him into global fame. It was made into a film in 1973 starring Edward Fox as the Jackal and more recently a television series starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch. In 2015, Forsyth told the BBC that he had also worked for the British intelligence agency MI6 for many years, starting from when he covered a civil war in Nigeria in the 1960s. Although Forsyth said he did other jobs for the agency, he said he was not paid for his services and it was hard to say no to officials seeking information. The zeitgeist was different, he told the BBC. The Cold War was very much on. He wrote more than 25 books including The Afghan, The Kill List, The Dogs of War" and The Fist of God" that have sold over 75 million copies, Lloyd said. His publisher, Bill Scott-Kerr, said that Revenge of Odessa, a sequel to the 1974 book The Odessa File" that Forsyth worked on with fellow thriller author Tony Kent, will be published in August. Still read by millions across the world, Freddie's thrillers define the genre and are still the benchmark to which contemporary writers aspire, Scott-Kerr said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store