By Pascal Rossignol and Cecile Mantovani
VESOUL, France, Feb 21 (Reuters) – The appeal trial of a Chilean man accused of murdering his Japanese ex-girlfriend in France in 2016 was suspended on Tuesday in Vesoul, in the east of the country.
Last year, a court found Nicolás Zepeda guilty of the murder of 21-year-old Narumi Kurosaki in Besançon. Zepeda pleaded not guilty and appealed the conviction.
Kurosaki’s corpse has not been found.
The trial was adjourned for at least an hour shortly after it began on Tuesday because the defendant no longer wanted his lawyer to represent him.
The presiding judge chose a public defender instead, and the new lawyer requested the stay so he could speak with his client, Randall Schwerdorffer, a lawyer for Kurosaki’s family, told Reuters.
The length of the suspension is unclear and Zepeda’s attorney was not immediately available.
“It’s amazing,” Schwerdorffer said of the uncertainty over the trial date, adding that Zepeda had had a year to prepare for the appeal trial and what he called “toxic” changes was taking its toll on Kurosaki’s family, who he was traveling with. in France for the hearings.
“Whether Mr. Zepeda agrees or not, this appeal trial will take place at some point. We are ready,” Schwerdorffer said, adding, “I look forward to the resumption of the trial (…) in order that we can get to the bottom of this case.” (Written by Ingrid Melander; Edited in Spanish by Ricardo Figueroa)