A 25-year-old man was beaten to death by his nephew in Quissac (Gard) this Tuesday,
Le Figaro
learned from the Alès public prosecutor's office, confirming information from
Midi Libre
. The suspect, a 21-year-old delivery driver, confessed to the facts and was taken into police custody the same evening, told Le
Figaro
this Wednesday Abdelkrim Grini, the prosecutor of the Alès court, who specified that police custody will be extended for 24 hours.
While the prosecution had decided to open an investigation for attempted murder,
“the facts were ultimately reclassified as assassination”,
underlines Abdelkrim Grini.
A telescopic baton
Around 6:30 p.m., the victim had a meeting with her nephew in Quissac, a small town located between Alès and Montpellier. According to the suspect, he contacted his uncle to resolve a money dispute.
We are not talking about thousands and hundreds, but the modest sum of 30 euros. Still according to his testimony, the uncle owed this money to a friend of his nephew, and had done so for almost a year, indicates Abdelkrim Grini, recalling that this is the suspect's version and that the ongoing investigation has not yet been able to confirm his remarks.
The victim, originally from Quissac, then invited his nephew to join him near his home, in the city center. When the alleged perpetrator arrived on the scene, he under no circumstances attempted to discuss with his uncle. According to several testimonies, the man immediately rushed towards his relative, a telescopic baton in his hand, striking him several times, reports the prosecution.
Hit in the skull
The victim was violently hit on the side, back and head, details Abdelkrim Grini who specifies
“that at least two blows to the skull caused death”.
A friend of the victim present at the scene took the 25-year-old young man back to his home, the home being about ten meters from the scene of the tragedy. After a few minutes, the man finally died at his home, before the firefighters arrived.
The suspect's mother, who also happens to be the victim's sister, was quickly informed of the facts. Learning of the tragedy, she then contacted her son so that he confessed to his act. The young man decided at 9:30 p.m. to go to the Alès police station to confess.
The baton bought the day before
In his statements, the alleged perpetrator confided
"not having tolerated the fact that his uncle owed 30 euros to his friend"
, the prosecution further reports, adding that he would have simply wanted to
"encourage"
the victim to repay his debt.
However, the first investigations suggest that the murder was well premeditated: the baton was purchased the day before, the individual did not seek to explain himself to his uncle and would have directly
“rushed”
on the future victim.
“This is why I retain the qualification of assassination
,” confides the prosecutor.
Despite everything, investigators remain cautious about the suspect's statements. The sum for which the victim was beaten to death seems very modest and the prosecution does not exclude any other avenue such as a dispute over narcotics, or a dispute linked to a much larger sum of money.