The lifeless body of salesman Philippe Charuel was discovered in February 2003 in a ditch by a road in Gondreville, eastern France.

According to the investigation, two young prostitutes had reported having been bothered by Charuel while he was leaving a bar near the train station in the city of Nancy on the night of February 19-20, 2023.

He was then taken into a car, a black BMW, by two men, who were later identified as Christian Rad and Vasile Ostas.

After nearly 22 years in hiding, the two fugitives, who were involved in pimping according to the Spanish police, were arrested in August 2023 near Barcelona.

They had been living in Catalonia for about 20 years, under false identities.

The two men had already been sentenced in absentia in 2011 to 30 and 26 years in jail.

Vasile Ostas, 52, a Romanian national, told the court he "admitted" the facts and said he was "sorry" on numerous occasions.

"I hit him but I didn't want him dead," he said of Charuel. "I ask forgiveness from the victim's family" and "from French society".

Christian Rad, Ostas' 40-year-old nephew, also admitted he had hit the victim "with my hands", in the presence of the two women and his uncle.

"I saw a lot of violence. It was a shock for me too. I thought a lot about (Charuel's family) all evening," he said.

Charuel was described as "a man without a past history" who frequented nightclubs, had recently separated from his wife and was the father of a young child.

His body was found with 20 injuries to the abdomen, several broken ribs and "numerous wounds and injuries" on the face, including a fractured jaw and missing teeth, presiding judge Therese Diligent said.

The verdict is expected on Friday.