Tragic World Cup Celebration Turns Fatal: Driver Faces 20 Years for Teen’s Death

The trial of the driver opened on Wednesday, October 22, before the criminal court of Hérault. "I would like to apologize to the family...", the defendant declared at the outset, after giving his identity. Aymen’s parents, as well as his brother and two sisters, present at the hearing which took place in the large courtroom of the Montpellier courthouse, did not react to this statement by William C. "It’s a bit late, they find that these are circumstantial apologies", Me Marc Gallix, the family’s lawyer, confided to Le Parisien during a break, adding that Aymen’s relatives "are expecting a lot from the decision that will be handed down (but) are not driven by feelings of hatred or revenge".

The death of Aymen, of Moroccan origin, had aroused strong emotion in Montpellier, where a thousand people had marched, white roses in hand, to pay tribute to the teenager. On December 14, 2022, about a hundred supporters had taken to the streets of the La Mosson neighborhood on the outskirts of Montpellier, following this semi-final won by France (2-0). It was during these celebrations that William C., at the wheel of his mother’s Citroën C4, had violently hit three pedestrians, including Aymen. The teenager, seriously injured, died shortly after being rushed to the hospital. Another teenager had also been slightly injured. He has joined the civil party.

Before the tragic incident, the defendant "had been harassed by a group of young people who had torn off a tricolor flag" attached to one of his doors, the investigators report. The driver had fled, before being arrested twelve days later, in the Pyrénées-Orientales. He was indicted for "intentional violence with a weapon resulting in death without intent to give it" and "intentional violence with a weapon resulting in total incapacity for work exceeding eight days". Born to a Moroccan father, William C., an illiterate who has never worked, and who would have a real "cognitive deficit", according to the psychological assessment, faces up to 20 years in prison. His trial ends on Thursday.