The Murder of Laëtitia Perrais
Laëtitia Perrais was 18 when she disappeared near Pornic in January 2011. Tony Meilhon was convicted of her murder in 2013 and received life imprisonment with a 22-year security period, a sentence confirmed on appeal in 2015.
Disappearance and investigation
Laëtitia Perrais disappeared during the night of January 18–19, 2011, in the Loire-Atlantique area near Pornic, where she was living and working. Investigators quickly focused on Tony Meilhon, one of the last people known to have been with her. The search and criminal investigation became a major national case in France.
Laëtitia's remains were later recovered during the investigation. This archive does not reproduce the graphic forensic details reported during the search and trial; they are not necessary to understand either the criminal case or the court findings.
Trial in Nantes
Meilhon went on trial before the Loire-Atlantique assize court in Nantes in 2013. During the proceedings he changed aspects of his account, including the circumstances of Laëtitia's death. The jury convicted him of murder. On June 5, 2013, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a 22-year security period.
Appeal and final sentence
The case was retried on appeal in Rennes in October 2015. The appeal court again sentenced Meilhon to life imprisonment with a 22-year security period. It did not retain the additional preventive-detention measure imposed at first instance. Contemporary reporting stated immediately after the appeal judgment that Meilhon would not seek review by the Court of Cassation.
Current status
This case is Solved / Adjudicated. Tony Meilhon was convicted at trial and the life sentence with a 22-year security period was confirmed on appeal. The page distinguishes his changing statements during the proceedings from the findings ultimately adopted by the courts.