Murder of Alexia Daval

Alexia Daval, born Alexia Fouillot on 18 February 1988 in Gray, Haute-Saône, France, held a master's degree in educational sciences and worked as a banker. She had an older sister; her parents ran a PMU bar in Gray, where her mother served as a municipal councilor. Alexia met Jonathann Daval, born 16 January 1984 in Velet, in 2004, and the couple married on 18 July 2015. Both were competitive runners and, according to friends, appeared to have a loving relationship.

On the morning of 28 October 2017, Jonathann Daval reported Alexia missing from the couple's home in Gray-la-Ville, saying she had gone jogging and not returned. Her disappearance drew significant regional and national media attention and generated concern among walkers, hikers, and other outdoor sports enthusiasts in the area, as the case echoed a series of prior murders of female joggers in France. Two days later, on 30 October 2017, Alexia's body was found in the Bois de la Vaivre, a forest in the nearby commune of Esmoulins; she had been beaten and strangled to death. Her date of death is recorded as 27 or 28 October 2017. Public prosecutor Emmanuel Dupic opened a judicial investigation for murder, assigning the case to the Besançon research section. Hundreds of people attended a 'white march' held in Gray in November 2017 in tribute to Alexia; her sister, mother, and husband all spoke publicly, with her mother expressing hope that Alexia was still alive.

Police initially suspected Jonathann Daval but ruled him out before turning their attention back to him roughly three months into the investigation, after a neighbor came forward describing having seen his car on the day Alexia disappeared. Investigators subsequently obtained GPS data confirming a trip made that night and found that tire tracks near where the body was recovered matched Jonathann's car. He was arrested on 29 January 2018 and, after 30 hours in police custody, confessed to the killing in the presence of his in-laws. He had earlier falsely suggested that Alexia's brother-in-law was responsible. Police also recovered text messages from Alexia's phone describing conflict in the marriage, including disputes over the couple's sex life; the relationship was reported to have been further strained after Alexia miscarried a pregnancy in the summer of 2017.

Jonathann Daval's trial opened on 16 November 2020 before the Assize Court of Haute-Saône and Territoire de Belfort in Vesoul. Alexia's family and friends testified about the deterioration of the marriage, and her mother confronted Jonathann in court, where he apologized to Alexia's family; his own mother said he was a good person. On 21 November 2020, the court found Jonathann Daval guilty of murdering Alexia and sentenced him to 25 years in prison, concluding that he had deliberately killed her and then attempted to cover up the crime by reporting her missing and taking part in public appeals for her return.