Sentences of 16 and 12 years of criminal imprisonment were requested on Friday against an American mother and son, accused of having attempted to murder the latter's French father twice, against the backdrop of " conspiracy" and family heritage.
Advocate General Olivier Bray also required prohibitions from the territory, and asked that the alteration of discernment for the son, "
under the thumb
" of his mother, be retained.
Read also“Under your bed there is a shovel!”
: the assizes of Paris dissect two incredible assassination attempts
In 2010, June Hopkins, 60, and her son Brendan Walsh, 30, had recently reconnected with the latter's father, Grégoire L., whom they had not seen for 15 years.
In the summer, an argument had broken out when Grégoire L. had noticed that his American family had searched his papers, in particular those concerning the estate of his father.
His son had then, according to his version, poured barbecue lighter on it, before trying to light a lighter.
The second assassination attempt dates from 2015, when Grégoire L. and his sister were attacked outside their home by "
the Americans
", who had tried to strangle them, motorcycle helmets on their heads.
The mother and son were arrested the next day.
A "
fierce hatred, an absolute desire for revenge
"
“
What the investigators did not yet know
” at the time, said the Advocate General, was that June Hopkins and her “
armed arm
” of sons had been living for three years “
in a vacuum
” in Paris, devoting all of their time spying on and harassing Grégoire L., driven by "
fierce hatred, an absolute desire for revenge
".
In their cellar, the investigators had found camera glasses, camouflage vests, masks, a saw, a machete and an ax.
The two defendants denied the facts, assuring that they were in truth themselves victims of a "
conspiracy
" of the father and his relatives, to eliminate them.
“
For what reason?
“has not stopped asking the Assize Court since the start of the trial on Monday, without obtaining a coherent answer.
"
The conspiracy is a smokescreen
," swept the Advocate General.
“
We created a story to legitimize the actions
”.
It
's a "crazy story
", they look "
amateur
", but it's not "
funny
", he added.
Grégoire L., "
fell into a deep depression
" and whose life had become "
hell
", and his family, had "
asked nothing
", he also hammered.
The verdict is expected in the afternoon.