The Joël Lévêque case: defending at the heart of suspicion

25 years sought. 15 years imposed. The verdict of the Var Assize Court, delivered in January 2025, brought to a close a trial of rare intensity — that of Joël Lévêque, accused of drowning his wife, Li Yao, off the coast of Hyères in September 2013. Tom Bonnifay of Vouland Avocats acted for the defence in this singular case, in which the court had to decide between a tragic accident and a criminal scenario.

A calm sea, a lingering suspicion

It all began on 7 September 2013. A couple out sailing off Hyères spotted two figures drifting in the water. He, Joël Lévêque, was calling for help. She, Li Yao, aged 54, was already motionless. Brought back to shore, she was no longer breathing. The post-mortem concluded that she had drowned. There were no signs of blows and no suspicious injuries.

Yet around the tragedy, the story thickened. Relatives claimed that the victim feared for her life, and that she had confided to a friend:

“If I don’t call you tonight, it means I’m dead.”

To this concern was added a troubling detail: shortly before her death, Joël Lévêque had signed up to a dating website, apparently already looking for a new partner.

The weight of the past

The investigation revealed an unusual marital history. Four marriages, three wives who died in circumstances described as “domestic”. Old tragedies, closed without further action — but which, in the harsh light of the present, became echoes of doubt.

For the investigators, a pattern was repeating itself: vulnerable women, disabled or ill — and a husband who was present, each time, when they died. For the defence, this was nothing more than a succession of misfortunes and coincidences, turned years later into an accusation of intent.

A trial of doubt

At the hearing, the prosecution sought 25 years’ imprisonment, arguing that Li Yao’s death could not have been accidental.
The defence, however, pointed to the weakness of the evidence, the absence of any witness and a post-mortem showing no trace of violence. To plead here was to refuse the easy path of symbolism: that of a man convicted for his history rather than for the facts.

Before the jury, the advocate general spoke of a “curious trip out to sea”.
The defence replied that there can be no crime without certainty — and that in criminal matters, the benefit of the doubt must still go to the accused.

A balanced decision

The verdict: 15 years’ imprisonment, ten fewer than the prosecution had sought. A decision reflecting a nuanced conviction — neither acquittal nor an exemplary sentence — but an implicit recognition of the uncertainty running through this case.

In assize trials, the truth is never complete. It is made up of fragments, contradictions and silences. The task of the defence is to give them a voice, without excess or posturing — simply with the constancy of doubt.

A case in the media spotlight

The Joël Lévêque case attracted considerable media attention. Several articles and documentaries covered it from the angle of a series of unexplained deaths:

• RTL: “Affaire Joël Lévêque : la mort de trois de ses épouses est-elle un hasard ?”
  RTL – 7 Oct. 2024
• La Tribune / Télérama: “Si je ne vous donne pas de nouvelles ce soir, c’est que mon mari m’a tuée.” Joël Lévêque, alias le veuf noir du Var, a-t-il noyé sa femme ?
  La Tribune – 3 Jul. 2024
• France Télévisions (France 2): documentary “Au bout de l’enquête. La fin du crime parfait” – “Affaire Joël Lévêque : quatre mariages, trois enterrements.”
  France 2 – 12 Sept. 2024

This coverage raised the public profile of the case while underlining how important it was for the defence to reframe the debate, far from sensationalist theories. The criminal defence lawyer must navigate between public opinion, myth and factual reality.

Criminal defence as an act of constancy

For Vouland Avocats, this case is a reminder of the essence of a criminal lawyer’s work: holding the helm in the storm, tirelessly defending the presumption of innocence, and recalling that judicial truth is built through adversarial debate, not through conviction alone.

Experience of the Assize Court, command of the case file and a consistent defence strategy made it possible to obtain a sentence well below what the prosecution sought, while preserving the humanity of the man at the heart of the trial.