Moroccan Court Upholds Death Sentence for Child Killer in High-Profile Case

Adnane B.’s killer thought that an appeal trial could help him escape the death penalty. He was once again found guilty of the charges of "premeditated murder", "kidnapping and sequestration", "sexual abuse", and "desecration of a body". His three accomplices tried again in this case were sentenced to 4 months in prison for "non-denunciation of a crime".

The facts date back to September 2020. Little Adnane went out for a few errands but his path crossed that of the killer. Sought for days by his parents, the recording of a surveillance camera in his neighborhood had shown him walking alongside a man. A few days later, the police managed to identify and arrest a suspect, who had then led the investigators to the place where he had buried Adnane, after raping and murdering him.

On January 12, during this trial, the main accused admitted to having kidnapped the child, not with the intention of killing him but to demand a ransom. His arguments ultimately did not convince the Court, which had had to suspend the hearing for an hour and a half that day. The accused had been taken ill during the pleading of the lawyer for Adnane’s family.