Moroccan Student’s Murder Trial Begins; Mother Seeks Death Penalty, Alleges Bribery Attempts

The trial of the main suspect and his co-defendants opened on Tuesday before the Court of Appeal of Casablanca. The family, friends and relatives of the victim attended the first hearing. It was decided to postpone it until January.

At the end of the hearing, Fatima, Badr’s mother, spoke to the press. She said that the family of the main suspect, a rich kid, is putting pressure on her to withdraw her complaint. "They offered money and property, and even sent intermediaries," she explained. The victim’s mother does not give in. She insists that justice be done to her son and also demands the maximum penalty, reports Morocco World News. "He [the suspect] is a tyrant, not an ordinary human being. I demand retaliation... the death penalty... so that their son dies like my son, so that they feel the pain I felt," she insisted.

Badr Bouljoihel, a doctoral student-researcher at the Faculty of Science and Technology in Mohammedia, was killed on the night of July 30 in a McDonald’s parking lot in Aïn Diab. In a video circulated on social media, we see individuals inflicting violent blows on the 23-year-old young man. One of the aggressors, the owner of a large Audi Q8 4x4, gets into his vehicle to run over young Badr. This horrible crime had shaken Aïn Diab, an upscale neighborhood of Casablanca. The day after the tragedy, the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) announced the arrest by the judicial police of Casablanca, in coordination with their counterparts in Laâyoune, of the main suspect.

Four other suspects were later arrested. They are all accused of voluntary manslaughter and the formation of a criminal gang.