A grand jury indicted French studies Professor Claude Vandeloise for manslaughter Wednesday after a full day of testimony from medical experts and the professor himself.
The indictment ensured Vandeloise will stand trial for the murder of his wife Monique Beckers. Assistant District Attorney Aaron Brooks said he expects the trial to get underway sometime in October.
According to Baton Rouge Police Department reports, Vandeloise called emergency crews on the morning of Oct. 15 after finding his wife unconscious on the bathroom floor of their Garden District home. BRPD arrested Vandeloise later that evening for manslaughter.
At the hearing Wednesday, Brooks questioned medical experts, police officers and the forensic pathologist who performed Beckers’ autopsy. Brooks tried to show that the 4-square-inch bruise on the left side of Beckers’ face and jaw caused a brain hemorrhage that led to her death eight days later.
In a recorded police interview Vandeloise admitted he hit his wife in the face on Oct. 7.
Although in the police interview Vandeloise admitted he hit her, Brooks said that he may have lied about the date of the blow.
But, even if Vandeloise was telling the truth about the date of the injury, Brooks said it is still possible for an injury that occurred eight days earlier to cause death.
Vandeloise’s attorney, David Bourland, said the indictment was just an “accusation.” He said the jury will acquit his client once he can reveal all the facts in trial.
Bourland said he is not denying that Vandeloise confessed that he hit Beckers on Oct. 7, but he said Vandeloise’s blow is not what caused her death.
“The point is, the woman had suffered from several heath problems,” Bourland said.
Medical witnesses, family and friends from the United States and Europe — where Beckers’ family resides and she visited doctors — will testify that Beckers suffered from epilepsy and cirrhosis of the liver, he said.
Bourland said Beckers’ alcohol abuse and dire health situation caused her to fall down often.
Autopsy photos show more bruises on Beckers’ upper and lower back, knee and wrist.
Brooks agreed that Beckers’ health was poor and contributed to the bruises on her body, but said a fall did not cause the bruise on her chin — the bruise that Brooks will try to prove killed her.