Wrongfully Convicted Man Freed After 4 Years as Real Killer Confesses in Essaouira Murder Case

After four years in prison, he is free again. The gendarmes of Essaouira made a mistake in the suspect and had arrested Rachid M., who had been sentenced to 30 years in prison before obtaining a reduced sentence on appeal, reports Assabah. The 30-year sentence became a 20-year sentence. The man has just been released after spending four years in prison. Overcome with remorse, the real culprit, an 18-year-old young man, turned himself in to the Royal Gendarmerie where he confessed. He is now being prosecuted by the investigating judge at the Court of Appeal of Safi for homicide.

The real culprit gave his version of the facts. These facts date back to September 2016. He recounted that he, the victim, the false culprit and other friends had participated in a wedding party in the Ahl Jemaa douar. It was a drunken evening during which he had to lie down near the tent set up for the wedding. He will be awakened by one of his friends, late at night. As he was stretching his legs, he had seen the victim. The latter had asked him to accompany him to get a bottle of eau-de-vie (Mahia) that he would have kept somewhere.

The victim would then have proposed to him to have relations with him in exchange for a 200 DH bill. He refuses. Offended, his companion would have threatened him with a bladed weapon and taken him to an abandoned house. He would then have tried to abuse him. The alleged murderer takes advantage of a moment of inattention from his alleged aggressor to grab a knife in order to dissuade him. In vain. According to the real culprit, the victim would have continued to harass him. Exasperated, he would have stabbed him fatally. Once the crime was committed, he would have thrown the bladed weapon into a well, near his home.