During the penultimate session of the court, the prosecution argued that the initial life-sentence for the defendant should be upheld. On Friday, the defense continued to make a case for the acquittal of the former boyfriend.
The final plea reemphasised the lack of sufficient evidence to put the defendant behind bars. Furthermore, it was criticised that other leads were not followed up and that the prosecution only focused on Lopes’ former boyfriend from the beginning. Additionally, Maître Philippe Penning drew attention to inconclusive evidence from DNA traces found near the victim’s body.
The defendant also had a chance to speak on Friday. He considered the authorities to be against him and painted a negative picture of his former partner and mother of his child: “I know it is my fault that I chose this woman.”
The verdict in the appeal case is scheduled to be announced on 11 January 2022.
