New Details About The Mom Accused Of Murdering Her Live-In Nanny And Burning The Body In Her Backyard
Sophie Lionnet was just 21.
Daily Mail For at least the past two years, Sophie Lionnet dedicated her time being the live-in nanny for Sabrina Kouider's two boys.
The 21-year-old was described by her neighbors as shy and sweet, most of them had never even heard her speak. Her friends say she became a French au pair to learn English but found life in Sabrina's home very difficult.
So difficult in fact, that Sophie decided she was going to go home.
She asked her mom for fare so she could make the trip back — but she never arrived.
Two weeks later, Sabrina and a man named Ouissem Medouni were charged with the nanny's murder. Police believed they killed her and burned her body in the backyard.
Police were tipped off to the crime after multiple neighbors reported smoke coming from Sabrina's backyard and an unpleasant smell the days before.
"We complained to our landlord the day before about a bad smell," one neighbor said. "It was like a gas leak. He came in and had a look around but didn't see anything."
Another resident peeked over the fence when they saw a fire coming from the backyard.
"We saw smoke and there was a foul smell. My son was being a bit cheeky and he climbed up the fence to look over and he saw a man sweeping up what we thought were sticks and putting them on the bonfire."
Neighbors also told police that even though the Sabrina and Ouissem — who's relationship has not been established — seemed like normal people, they would often hear them having loud arguments that included a woman screaming.
Daily Mail
Police said when they first discovered the body, it was burned so badly that they couldn't determine her age or even her gender. It was later revealed to be Sophie.
In another twist, Sabrina had one of her sons with Mark Walton, who's the founding member of Boyzone, an Irish pop act.
One of the last posts Sophie wrote on her Facebook page was "I may be a fighter, but my lucky star is soaring."
Emily Blackwood is an editor at YourTango who covers pop culture, true crime, dating, relationships and everything in between. Every Wednesday at 10:20 p.m. you can ask her any and all questions about self-love, dating, and relationships LIVE on YourTango’s Facebook page. You can follow her on Instagram (@blackw00d) and Twitter (@emztweetz).