Moroccan Man Faces Life Sentence for Brutal Double Murder of Ex-Wife and Sister-in-Law in Gard

On May 5, 2023, in Les Salles-du-Gardon, north of Alès near La Grand-Combe, the accused surrendered to the police after stabbing to death his 26-year-old ex-partner and her 39-year-old sister. Presented to the criminal division in Nîmes, he was subsequently placed in pre-trial detention and charged with murder.

It all started with the ex-wife’s decision to separate from the Moroccan. She notified him of this breakup by message and left the marital home in Cavaillon with their 10-month-old daughter to move in with her sister in the Gard. The accused, who did not accept this separation, went to the sister-in-law’s house. She blamed him for having a bad influence on his wife and held him responsible for the separation.

The argument turned into a tragedy. The Moroccan grabbed a 20-centimeter kitchen knife and stabbed her several times in the back. Alerted by the screams, the ex-wife rushed into the kitchen. Her ex-husband dealt her a fatal knife wound to the throat, relays France Bleu. After his double homicide, the quadragenarian surrendered to the Alès police.

Alerted, the gendarmes from the Alès research brigade arrived at the scene, discovering the bodies of the two victims lying in a pool of blood. During this two-day trial, the Moroccan will be tried for premeditated murder, according to the civil party, who expects the prosecution to argue for a "crime of passion." As for the 3-year-old girl, she has been entrusted to her grandparents.