Man Sentenced to 16 Years for Fatal Pizza Dispute in French Pizzeria

Tried for murder since October 2, Élie, 21, was sentenced on Friday to 16 years in prison after being found guilty of having voluntarily caused the death of Yacine, 21, in March 2020, with whom he had a dispute in the Diffa pizzeria because of a pizza that had to be waited 45 minutes, reports Le Parisien. A sentence that is not far from the prosecution’s request, with the public prosecutor having requested 18 years in prison. The Assize Court of Val-d’Oise sentenced his two brothers to two years in prison, including one year suspended, under electronic surveillance for aggravated offenses. They had intervened in the dispute between Élie and Yacine. "We are all destroyed by this story. We made the wrong choices. I’m ready, my brothers too, to take responsibility," one of them told the court.

The people present at the hearing were surprised by the reason for this dispute that degenerated and cost Yacine his life. "It’s a feeling of waste and shattered lives for nothing," summarized Gautier Robert-Aupetit, the lawyer for one of the civil parties, the young customer at the origin of the altercation. He made it known that these were young people who did not even know each other, who were not at war. "Honestly, it’s terrifying. We don’t understand this outburst of violence, why they went that far," the lawyer continued, deploring that the lives of the civil parties and the accused have been shattered. "There are only losers in an assize trial," he added. The same sentiment from Ann Kennedy, who assisted the deceased’s family members: "the mourning will not be over with this trial. Mourning is eternal. The pain will always be present. Nothing will bring Yacine back."

Élie, who claimed not to have intended to kill Yacine, has difficulty convincing the public prosecutor. "Two knife blows in the back following a fall... This is not compatible with the medical findings. The blows are intentional. There are no other possibilities," she reacted. It is difficult for her to understand that one can kill for such a futile reason. "The accused have normal personalities. It is difficult to find logical explanations. It is all the more difficult to understand for the family, such a violent reaction for such a futile reason..." Before the verdict, Élie apologized to Yacine’s family: "I know it’s my fault, that I will carry it for the rest of my life. [...] I know it will never be enough and that it won’t bring your son back."