Men who have been on the run in France for more than 20 years, living under false identities, have confessed to committing brutal murders.

Two men pleaded guilty to the brutal 2003 murder of a Frenchman when they appeared in court on Monday after more than two decades on the run.

The lifeless body of salesman Philippe Charuel was found in a roadside ditch in Gondreville, eastern France, in February 2003.

According to the investigation, two young prostitutes reported being harassed by Charuel while leaving a bar near the train station in Nancy on the night of February 19, 2023.

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

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

They lived in Catalonia under false identities for almost 20 years. This was reported by Le ParisienRad was a father of two and worked as a concierge in a luxury hotel, while Ostas was a security guard.

Ostas’ lawyer, Eleonore Dupleix, France told 3his client has not yet been charged.

“We will find out what they have to say at the hearing, each side’s version,” Dupleix said.

These two people were already sentenced to 30 and 26 years in prison in absentia in 2011.

52-year-old Ostas, a Romanian citizen, said in court that he “confessed” the facts and repeatedly “apologized”.

“I shot him, but I didn’t want him to die,” Charuel said. “I ask for forgiveness from the victim’s family” and “from the French society”.

Ostas’ 40-year-old nephew Rad also admitted that he hit the victim “with my hands” in the presence of two women and his uncle.

“I saw a lot of violence. It was a shock to me as well. I thought a lot about (Charuel’s family) all evening,” he said.

Charuel was described as “a man with no past” who frequented nightclubs, had recently separated from his wife and was the father of a young child.

Her body was found with 20 injuries to her abdomen, several broken ribs and “multiple lacerations and injuries” to her face, including a broken jaw and missing teeth.

Sentencing is expected on Friday.