Four Arrested in Fatal Stabbing of 15-Year-Old in French Town

The death of Zakaria, 15, occurred in the night of Tuesday, April 9 to Wednesday, April 10, 2024 in the Monnaie district. A 59-year-old father and his two sons considered the main suspects, as well as the son-in-law of the former, were arrested. After being placed in custody on Thursday, the investigation into the death of the Moroccan teenager reclassified as premeditated murder is ongoing. The 26-year-old son of the nearly sexagenarian has been indicted for assassination (premeditated murder). Suspected of being the author of the fatal knife blow, he says he struck "at random." His father, "at the origin of the punitive expedition," is indicted for complicity in assassination. According to his lawyer, Ivan Flaud, this former maintenance technician "never convicted in his life" had gone to the Monnaie district "to put an end to the school harassment of which another of his sons, younger," was a victim, "without any belligerent intention." Indicted for premeditated voluntary violence, the 16-year-old son, "who agreed to strike, at the father’s request," would have had a "violent and filmed conflict" with a young man of his age. Wanting to take revenge, he went to the Monnaie district on Tuesday evening accompanied by members of his family. The other individual involved in this case is the son-in-law of the family man, a 27-year-old man. He "drove the vehicle leading the three men to the Monnaie district and who participated in their flight." Indicted for complicity in assassination, he acknowledged his participation in the expedition. They were all subsequently remanded in custody.

Zakaria’s misfortune was to have tried to separate young people who were arguing. "The guys were arguing, my son tried to separate them, that’s all. [...] And suddenly the other one stabbed. It’s terrible, it’s too much for me," Driss, the victim’s father, described to RTL, describing "a nice guy" in an apprenticeship contract in construction. In a statement to Le Figaro, the 49-year-old painter, father of four other children, also assured that his son was "innocent," that he "was not involved in drug trafficking." Furthermore, the tragedy was "not a settling of scores." According to his explanations, his son "had not been in Monnaie every day for a long time," because he works in a construction company "on the Swiss border." "If he still had some friends there, he has nothing to do with this dispute," he pointed out. The autopsy confirms the criminal trail. It showed "no trace of defense or struggle," but "a single and unique injury compatible with the entry of a bladed weapon" which penetrated "about 20 centimeters into the victim’s body," the prosecutor said.

On Friday morning, the crowdfunding launched at the request of Zakaria’s family "to finance the funeral expenses" had reached more than 3,200 euros. According to his father, the funeral will take place in Morocco. "Together, we can bring a little comfort to this family in this dark period," it is written in the description. The death of the Moroccan teenager is causing emotion and consternation. "It’s a quiet, discreet family, without history. I don’t understand. Their son was integrated, in an apprenticeship in construction. It has nothing to do with a dealer story," Kader, a father who knew Zakaria’s relatives, also described to Le Parisien. A friend of Zakaria also assured: The teenager "always tried to settle problems, did not look for fights." The victim was "a quite ordinary young man," confirmed Mayor Marie-Hélène Thoraval. The mayor deplores "a new blow for the city." Last November, Thomas, a 16-year-old high school student, was fatally injured at the end of a village ball in Crépol, about twenty kilometers from Romans-sur-Isère. Among the individuals indicted for "voluntary homicide in an organized gang" are young people from the Monnaie housing project.