Moroccan-French Teen on Trial for 2016 Fatal Beating in Cahors

The facts date back to June 14, 2016. The lifeless body of a former drug addict had been discovered in his apartment in the Sainte-Valérie district of Cahors. The 37-year-old man had been beaten to death. Two Lot minors, one of whom has French and Moroccan parents, are identified as the alleged perpetrators of the murder of this man from Paris. They will be indicted in 2018. They are suspected of having committed "voluntary violence in a group resulting in death without intent to kill". On Monday, they appeared before the Lot Assize Court in Cahors, reports La Dépêche du Midi.

The investigator paints the portrait of one of the accused. "He had a chaotic childhood, separated from his parents, tossed between France and Morocco, he has always been in search of his identity, between his two cultures," she explains. A young school dropout for several years, he only shows his violent side at school. "His relatives describe him as an ambitious person, who is in sharing, but who could also be a victim of his naivety," she continues. Present in the glazed box, the accused confirms having had "a not easy childhood" between divorced parents. As a result, he felt "especially squeezed on one side". According to the investigator, he would have suffered from a "lack of recognition and love". In the past, the young Moroccan has been sentenced twice to six months in prison, including three suspended, for acts of violence.

His father is called to testify at the bar. According to him, his son is a "nice boy". He recounts having stayed up until the early morning on the night of June 14, "because it was Ramadan". He adds that he took his child to the police station after the discovery of the body. "Did you know the victim?" asks the president of the Assize Court, Cyril Vidalie. "In the neighborhood, they said he was an alcoholic, he always had a bottle in his hand and was staggering," the father replies. "But those are rumors, you, did you know him?" insists the president. "No, I only crossed him once," the father finally admits. It is the turn of his ex-wife, the mother, to testify. "My son is a good guy, he has a big heart, I suffered from his absence, he is all I have left today," she says in tears.

In turn, the young man’s wife says she does not understand "why he is here today". She describes a "good and caring" man. "Everyone makes mistakes, but he wouldn’t be capable of such a big one," she is convinced.