France’s oldest female detainee faces murder trial after cold case breakthrough

Tue Jun 16 2026 16:36:10 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

79‑year‑old Marie‑Thérèse García stands in Versailles court for murder of former sister‑in‑law, with new DNA evidence revisiting a 31‑year‑old deadly mystery.

Marie‑Thérèse García, a 79‑year‑old former resident of Versailles, is being tried for the murder of her former sister‑in‑law, with evidence emerging from archived DNA samples. The case, centred on a dismembered body found in the Seine 31 years ago, was previously stalled due to limited evidence. New hair samples identified the suspect, prompting the prosecutor to push forward despite García’s claims of innocence. The trial will examine alleged motives tied to a complex network of criminal relationships.

France’s oldest female detainee faces murder trial after cold case breakthrough

Court in Versailles — AFP via Getty Images

Marie‑Thérèse García, now 79, has stepped onto the stone floor of the Palais de Versailles, where she will appear before a judge on a murder charge that stretches back 31 years. The lawsuit stems from the discovery of a dismembered, head‑less body in a metal trunk found in the Seine near the city of Paris in 1995.

The victim, Corinne Di Dio, vanished in June of that year, and the body was finally identified two years later. Although the case was once closed twice, a recent DNA breakthrough—hairs found in the trunk belonging to García or a relative—has propelled the prosecution’s claims forward.

García’s lawyer, Najwa El Haïté, argues that the brutal dismemberment is characteristic of organised crime, not a harrowing act by a woman with no criminal record. Yet both the accused and victim were linked to an underworld network involving figures like Antonio Marquez‑Gomez and the notorious Maurice brothers.

The judiciary will consider testimonies including an account from García’s daughter, who told investigators she heard her mother discussing murder weeks before Di Dio’s disappearance. Additional evidence involves intercepted phone calls where the defendant allegedly threatened to “cut up” and conceal killers’ remains in a suitcase.

In her own words reported to Le Parisien, García insists the case is built on sand, citing a lack of concrete motive, proof, and the contradiction of her hair colour. She asserts that without tangible evidence, “no one can be convicted.”

The trial, scheduled to last three weeks, will explore how García allegedly lured Di Dio to a house near Rambouillet, where she claims the victim was stabbed, dismembered, and dumped into the water. Prosecutors assert a motive centered on removing a child from his mother following an alleged affair with another associate.

Authorities are monitoring the complex web of relationships and previous crimes involving María‑Thérèse and the other parties, as the court seeks clarity on a case that has been shrouded in secrecy for decades.