Son arrested on suspicion of murdering father in Champagne

Yann Vadin, 33, has been arrested after allegedly admitting to killing his father, local winemaker Jean-Luc Vadin, 57, of Champagne Vadin-Plateau, and staging a burglary.

Though the motive was initially suspected to be that of an attempted burglary, according to several local news reports 33-year-old Yann Vadin has “admitted, in front of the investigators and in the presence of his lawyer, to having killed his father and staging the appearance of a burglary,” per France3.

Public prosecutor Matthieu Bourrette commented, “[An] autopsy performed on October 1, 2022 confirmed the thesis of death by firearms, with the intervention of a third party. On October 5, 2022, the Territorial Directorate of the Judicial Police of Reims placed in police custody Yann Vadin [who] after having denied any criminal act, acknowledged before the investigators and in the presence of his lawyer, that he had killed his father, and had organized the staging of a burglary.”

A motive is yet to be established, though it has been theorised that a financial dispute may have led to the shooting.

“The son admitted to making significant financial withdrawls from the company’s accounts for his personal benefit and which he had difficulty repaying,” Bourrette said.

The public prosecutor said that Yann Vadin had entered his father’s property early on 30 September with the intention of attempting suicide, though for reasons that have not yet been established, he is believed to have turned the gun on his father when the two encountered each other in the property.

Jean-Luc Vadin was “highly esteemed and respected” in the local community of Cumières, local radio station Champagnefm said.

It has been reported that the firearm used in the shooting was later found at Yann Vadin’s home. He remains in custody.