On November 2, 2004, Emile Louis' murder trial finally began in Auxerre, France despite repeated attempts to throw out the case. According to a November 3, 2004 AP Worldstream article, Louis' lawyers requested that the case be delayed until after the European Court of Human Rights ruled "on their bid to dismiss the case" because they believed "the crimes took place too long ago for the case to be legally valid." However, the court rejected the defense request and ordered the resumption of Louis' trial.

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The 70-year-old retired bus driver, convicted of the murders of seven mentally handicapped women, continued to deny he was responsible for the murders even though he confessed to them years earlier. It is hoped that the trial will finally reveal the truth as to how the girls died. The trial is expected to last four weeks. If convicted, Louis could face life imprisonment.

The case is considered one of France's most controversial scandals because the investigation was bungled and many of the case files dealing with the girls' disappearances, as well as other cases of murdered and missing women went missing from the Auxerre Courthouse. It is believed that the files were destroyed in order to cover up a high-level sex ring, which allegedly involved some prominent French officials.

AP Worldstream reported that, "more than 90 witnesses including magistrates, social workers, police officers and family members of the victims are to testify at the trial." Many other family members of the victims are expected to fill the courthouse, in the hopes of seeing Louis brought to justice after escaping prosecution for the murders for approximately twenty-five years. The father of British student Joanna Parrish, who was murdered in Auxerre in 1990, is also expected to be in attendance.

Since the onset of the trial there has been an upsurge of media and public interest, which has led to security concerns. Moreover, there is concern for Louis' personal safety and the authorities want to prevent the possibility of someone taking justice into their own hands. In response, safety measures were taken to secure the perimeter around the courthouse, Mie Kohiyama reported for Agence France-Presse. There is no doubt that Louis is considered by many to be one of France's most reviled citizens.