Murder of Sonia Bellina: the suspect indicted and placed in detention

The main suspect in the murder of Sonia Bellina has been indicted. Placed in police custody on Wednesday, this 32-year-old man is suspected of having murdered the young 29-year-old influencer. Then to have tried to burn his body, before abandoning it in the middle of the rows of vines of Saint-Gilles, in Gard. The Nîmes public prosecutor, who is leading the investigation, announced Thursday evening the extension of the police custody of the man who was the main suspect in this sordid affair. Presented to an investigating judge, he was indicted and placed in pre-trial detention.

On August 12, 2026, the completely naked body of Sonia Bellina was discovered naked and partially charred in the middle of the vine rows of Saint-Gilles, twenty kilometers from Nîmes. It was a farm worker who discovered the still smoking corpse of the 29-year-old influencer.

According to prosecutor Cécile Gensac, the accused admitted “having had a relationship the night of the incident and the day before with the victim”. The man had come into contact with Sonia Bellina the day before the tragedy “as part of a meeting as an escort girl”, specifies the prosecutor. “Nothing established a relationship other than a price between them,” according to investigators. In police custody, he provided no explanation, preferring to remain silent to investigators.

This 32-year-old man “with a heavy legal past” has already been convicted by the courts, notably for acts of domestic violence and drug trafficking. In 2023, he was sentenced to prison for domestic violence committed in the North. At the time of Sonia Bellina's assassination, he was wearing an anti-reconciliation bracelet. He had moved to Gard, where he worked, under the supervision of the prison integration and probation service.

Another suspect released

Very popular on TikTok and Snapchat, the young woman who presented herself as a beautician shared her life between Paris and the Nîmes region, where her family is based.

Thursday evening, the Nîmes prosecutor's office announced that it had released one of the two suspects arrested on August 19. “The elements of the investigation have not made it possible, at this stage, to establish his participation in the events,” said prosecutor Cécile Gensac. However, a weapon was discovered during the search of his home. But the weapon “is unrelated to the events”. However, it will be the subject of a separate procedure, the magistrate said. The investigation into the death of the young woman continues under the charge of assassination, which suggests premeditation of the crime.

Very popular on social networks

Behind her pseudonym Sonia Bellina, the young woman shared short videos where she portrayed herself. She had nearly 250,000 fans on TikTok. Presenting herself as a beautician, the 29-year-old influencer was also an escort girl.