The trial of a young marginal man who had massacred an unknown neighbor with a knife, in a fit of rage, opened Wednesday for murder before the Var Assize Court in Draguignan.
On February 3, 2021 shortly before 7:30 p.m., Samy Patriarche, 27, was preparing dinner for him and his partner in their small house in Mons, a village in the heights of the Var, when he heard a noise at the outside.
When he opened the door, Joevin Arnould, then 25 years old, threw himself at him, a knife in his hand, hitting him first in the stomach, then in the throat, according to the elements of the investigation, taken up again at the hearing.
The autopsy totaled 41 blows of incredible violence, which left the victim no chance.
His partner, however, managed to escape through a window and hide before calling for help.
Traces of blood quickly led investigators to the trail of the alleged perpetrator, who was arrested a week later about thirty kilometers from Mons, after camping in the woods.
The young man had admitted the murder, but denied any premeditation, and had never explained it other than by a fit of rage.
Anger related to his situation
To the investigators, he explained that on the day of the tragedy, he had left the gîte where he lived temporarily with his father to spend time in a caravan, on land belonging to his father.
It was there that his anger linked to his situation - without a job, without friends, without prospects - had turned into a form of rage.
Leaving his backpack on the terrace of an absent neighbor, he took his knife to knock on the door of the first house where he had seen a light, he recalled.
Several psychiatric assessments concluded that he suffered from disorders which impaired but not abolished his discernment and his ability to control himself at the time of the events.
The verdict is expected Friday evening.