A suspected cannibal accused of tearing out a 90-year-old man's tongue and heart to eat was found with cooked meat remains on a plate with beans.
The homeless 26-year-old broke into the elderly man's home in Nouilhan, southern France, and beat him over the head with an iron rod before trying to extract his organs.
The suspect, who is a former soldier with the French army, claims to hear voices.
The suspect is accused of eating parts of the victim's body before setting fire to his house.
It is not clear whether the remains found on the plate are of human origin, French media have reported.
The flames alerted the victim's son, who lives nearby, who discovered his father’s body, investigators said.
The case has shocked the tiny hamlet in southern France, which is home to just 200 people.
It bears chilling similarities to the character of Hannibal Lecter from the film Silence Of The Lambs, who ate human organs with 'fava beans and Chianti'.
The former soldier is accused of attacking another villager in France by hitting him against a tractor.
The suspect previously served in Afghanistan and only left the army two weeks ago, according to The Local.
A source at the Marine Infantry Tank Regiment said he had rejected an offer to renew his contract and had 'posed no problems during his stint.'
The man, from the nearby village of Tarbes in the Haute-Pyrenees, was arrested on November 13 three hours later.
Police had been called by the victim's son, who lived nearby, and had been alerted by the flames.
The suspect appeared in court in Pau three days later where he was remanded in custody.
He has told detectives he heard 'voices and messages' telling him to kill the elderly man.