A court in France this week began the trial of 79-year-old Marie-Theres Garcia, who is accused of murdering her sister-in-law, Corinne Di Dio, 31 years ago. Di Dio’s dismembered remains were found in a metal container floating in the Seine River, west of Paris. Garcia, held in custody since May 2023, is now considered the oldest detainee in the country.
Di Dio, 37, disappeared in June 1995 after leaving work and heading to a meeting about custody of her son, whom she had with her former partner. About 10 days later, a chained metal box was found in the Seine containing the body of a woman without her head and hands. Investigators found 14 stab wounds, including fatal blows to the chest. The missing body parts were never recovered. DNA testing identified the body only two years later.
Suspicion quickly fell on Garcia, but the case was closed twice, in 2000 and 2008, for lack of evidence. It was revived in 2017 after genetic analysis matched DNA from two hairs found in the container to Garcia, or to another woman in her maternal line. Additional testimony came from Garcia’s daughter and former partner, both of whom said she admitted the killing. In January 2023, police wiretaps in an unrelated murder probe heard Garcia say that if she caught the culprits she would “cut them up and put the pieces in a suitcase,” a remark that pushed the case forward again.
Prosecutors say the motive combined a romantic feud and the struggle over Di Dio’s son, Roman. Di Dio had dated Antonio Marquez-Gomez, a Spanish man known to police for drug trafficking, and their breakup triggered a custody fight. Garcia, who was involved with Marquez-Gomez’s brother Francisco, had frequent access to Di Dio and the child, who was often left in her care. After Di Dio vanished, Roman was handed to his father and moved to Spain. Marquez-Gomez is also wanted in the case and is believed to be hiding in Colombia.
Garcia denies the charges, telling Le Parisien that the DNA came from brown hairs even though she had black hair at the time. “Nobody knows what happened, and in law, if you don’t know, you can’t convict,” she said. Her lawyer argues there is no concrete evidence and says prosecutors are relying on circumstantial clues. The trial is expected to last about two and a half weeks, with around 30 witnesses. A verdict is due on July 3, and a conviction could bring a life sentence.
