The defense of François Perez, a former soldier accused of the disappearance and murder of Fadila Bouafia in Ariège in November 2024, has requested the cancellation of a personality investigation deemed “off topic”. This rare request does not challenge the core of the case, but raises questions about the methods used by social and judicial actors.
It is a document of about fifty pages that could have gone unnoticed. A judicial expertise like dozens in complex criminal cases. However, this one is causing trouble for the judiciary in Toulouse. The defense of François Perez – a 48-year-old former military man accused of making a 53-year-old mother of family, Fadila Bouafia, nicknamed “Fafa”, disappear on November 4, 2024 in Biert, Ariège – has requested the nullity of the personality investigation conducted on this man, who has been in custody for a year and a half.
An unusual and unique procedure targeting the two authors of this investigation, mandated by the investigating judge, and its content deemed completely “off topic”.
This Thursday, March 19, the appeals chamber of the Toulouse court of appeals examined, in camera and in a council chamber, the nullity request raised by Mr. Guy Dedieu and Pierre Dunac, representing the interests of François Perez. According to the defense, the two psychologists who conducted this investigation in 2025 went beyond their role by describing “attitudes”, “behaviors” of the accused, during their various interviews. The content tends more towards morphopsychology at the expense of objective information intended to trace the life trajectory of the detainee. This document, which we have been able to consult, mentions assessments considered “inappropriate” by the defense of the accused. Like this sentence describing François Perez’s behavior: “Certain themes may have generated in him a form of tension which he translates into exacerbated breathing and physical agitation (stiffening of arms and fists, impatience of the lower limbs)”.
Life trajectory
In criminal investigations, personality investigations consist of in-depth investigations regarding a victim or a suspect that are related to their family, social, or professional situation. Investigators designated by the investigating judges are thus responsible for collecting testimonies to trace the life trajectory and journey of the suspect or victim. This work is then brought to the attention of an assize court.
Read also: INFO LA DEPECHE. Disappearance of Fadila in Ariège: an axe, burnt bones… one year later, new revelations and a silent suspect
Thursday, the appeals chamber put its judgment for deliberation. The ruling is expected in the coming weeks. If the nullity request is accepted, the personality investigation will have to be redone. This procedure does not affect the course of criminal investigations.
A murder without a body or confession
Despite the charges against François Perez, he continues to deny any involvement in the disappearance and murder of his friend, “Fafa”. His voice appears on voicemail messages discussing death threats. An axe found in January 2025, not far from his shed in Biert, contains DNA traces of the victim and hairs that experts confirm could belong to Fadila Bouafia.
Finally, bone remains were found in a domestic incinerator used by Perez in the mountains. Despite thorough examinations, it is impossible to affirm that they are the remains of the missing person. According to judicial anthropologists, these bones come from a “human subject over 30 years old”. Despite the lack of formal identification, one of the civil parties, Mr. Raynaud de Lage, believes there are “sufficiently damning elements” against François Perez.
