The defense opens by asserting that Stéphane Breitwieser’s 444 days in jail are sufficient, framing him as a courteous thief who avoided violence. Two witnesses support this: framer Christian Meichler, who praises Breitwieser’s collector’s soul, and Roland Breitwieser, who describes his son’s solitary nature and attachment to objects.

Breitwieser testifies that he always intended to return the art—“I was just their temporary custodian”—and swears he is finished stealing. His attorney develops a “borrowing” defense, citing the Bunton and Peruggia precedents where masterpieces were recovered intact and sentences were light, arguing Breitwieser sought the same outcome and has already served longer.

The prosecutor rebuts, documenting forty-seven theft methods, frequent offenses, and letters from institutions demanding restitution, emphasizing cultural harm. Witnesses for the prosecution detail losses: Lucerne’s cultural director mourns the 1584 Wagner Museum bugle (strap found, horn missing); Gruyères Castle’s curator notes partial recoveries but two paintings gone and upgraded alarms. Investigators believe many wooden pieces likely burned with the destroyed paintings.

Marie-Claude Morand, a Valais museum director, describes a lost Napoleon-commissioned tobacco box’s historic value and becomes emotional; Breitwieser apologizes, then displays expertise by correcting details about a hunting sword and citing a publication. In closing, the prosecutor reads a letter showing Breitwieser would have kept stealing and cites a psychotherapist’s report of no guilt and high recidivism. The prosecutor seeks a heavy sentence; the defense pleads for clemency. The jury is sent to deliberate.