SOISSONS, France – Christophe Ellul, the companion of Elisa Pilarski, stood trial Tuesday in Soissons for involuntary homicide, accused of negligence leading to Pilarski’s death after she was attacked by dogs in the Retz forest in November 2019. Pilarski, who was six months pregnant at the time, suffered catastrophic injuries.
The trial opened six years after the tragedy, with Ellul maintaining that his dog, Curtis, an American pitbull terrier, was not responsible for the attack. His defense centers on the possibility that Pilarski was attacked by a hunting pack that was operating in the same forest on the day of her death.
According to testimony, Pilarski called Ellul at 1:16 PM on November 16, 2019, but he was unable to answer while working as an air traffic controller at Roissy airport. A second call came at 1:19 PM, which Ellul answered. He stated that Pilarski told him she was being attacked by “dogs,” prompting him to rush to the forest, a 70-kilometer drive. Upon arriving, he discovered Pilarski’s body, severely mutilated, and observed a pack of dogs near the scene.
Ellul’s lawyer, Alexandre Novion, argued that the investigation was flawed, pointing to inconsistencies in the timeline and the handling of evidence. Novion questioned the expertise used to compare bite marks, noting that the methods used differed between Curtis and the hunting dogs, and that measurements were taken more than a year after the incident, allowing for growth in the dogs’ jaws. He also highlighted the lack of thorough investigation into the hunting pack, including a complete list of the dogs present that day. “We never obtained the list of dogs present that day. Never,” Novion stated.
The prosecution maintains that Curtis was the primary aggressor, citing the presence of the dog’s DNA on Pilarski’s body. However, Novion countered that the DNA found in Pilarski’s hair was consistent with affectionate contact, such as licking, and did not necessarily indicate an attack. He also pointed to a text message sent by Ellul to Pilarski at 1:45 PM, in which he urged her to release Curtis, interpreting it as a response to her distress and a belief she was trying to protect the dog from the hunting pack, not as an admission of Curtis’s dangerousness.
The origins of Curtis have also become a point of contention. Ellul allegedly imported the dog illegally from the Netherlands, falsely registering him as a “patterdale terrier cross whippet” to circumvent breed-specific legislation. Novion dismissed claims that Ellul intentionally falsified documents, stating that no investigation was conducted into the veterinary records or the breeder in the Netherlands.
The case has been marked by conflicting accounts and a protracted investigation. Ellul has consistently denied that Curtis was dangerous, and the defense has suggested that the dog may have been traumatized by witnessing the attack, if he was not the perpetrator. Curtis remains in a shelter near Toulouse, awaiting the court’s decision.
As of Wednesday, the court has not announced a date for a verdict. The fate of Curtis remains uncertain, with the possibility of euthanasia pending the outcome of the trial.
