Moroccan Court Upholds Life Sentence for Son Who Killed Mother in Essaouira

Found guilty of premeditated voluntary manslaughter, the defendant admitted his responsibility before the judges, however stressing that he had acted under the influence of anger. He would have "involuntarily" and "accidentally" struck his mother, without intending to kill her.

The defense of the accused, who had pleaded for a verdict of involuntary manslaughter, had contested the judgment rendered at first instance, arguing that his client had not acted with premeditation. He invited the judges to consider second-degree murder and to consider a reduced sentence.

The facts date back two years. The young man, who lived in Essaouira with his mother, had violently assaulted her with a bladed weapon. She would have refused to give him money. He had abandoned her in a pool of blood, before returning a few hours later to erase the traces of his crime. To be able to bury her safely, he had called on a forensic doctor supposed to confirm the natural death and give him the death certificate. But his plan had not worked.