Crépol case: 11 defendants committed to trial for aggravated murder with anti-White racism
Eleven young men will appear before the juvenile court of assizes in the Drôme for the murder of Thomas Perotto, 16, killed in November 2023 in Crépol. The trial is not expected to take place before the end of 2027.
Murder in Crépol: eleven committed to trial, trial expected no earlier than end of 2027
Nearly three years after the death of Thomas Perotto in the Drôme village of Crépol, the judiciary has committed eleven young men to the juvenile court of assizes in the Drôme for aggravated murder based on racism against "the White race and the French nation", according to information.tv5monde.com. A twelfth defendant faces charges of voluntary violence with a weapon, according to the conclusions of the investigating judges consulted by the AFP.
One of the eleven was 17 at the time of the events, which led magistrates to direct the entire case to juvenile jurisdiction. Two defence lawyers have already announced their intention to appeal, pushing any hearing beyond the end of 2027, or even into early 2028. In the meantime, seven defendants remain in detention, one is under house arrest and four placed under judicial supervision.
A "single incident" in the face of witness silence
In total, fourteen young men had been put under investigation in this inquiry. Two benefited from dismissal. The "code of silence" that surrounded the case prevented investigators from identifying the person who delivered the fatal blow to the 16-year-old pupil at the end of the village's winter ball.
The investigating judges consequently applied the legal concept of a "single incident", which allows prosecution of all members of a group for a crime as long as they all participated in the violence.
The aggravating circumstance of racism at the heart of the debate
On the aggravated charge, the judges relied on the testimonies of 19 "direct" witnesses who reported hostile remarks towards White people in the hours following the events — a timeframe deemed appropriate to limit the risk of collusion. These witnesses notably claim to have heard: "we're here to stab Whites and kill French people" and "bloody French asshole".
The public prosecutor had, however, opposed the addition of this aggravating circumstance, noting that these testimonies were "minority", "imprecise" and "contradictory".
On the defence side, Messrs Seydi Ba and Diala Al-Shaman, who represent one of the defendants, vigorously contested the logic applied: "How can our client be committed for aggravated murder based on a racist circumstance when neither the fatal blow nor any racist remarks are personally attributable to him?" They added: "We contest this logic of collective attribution: each person must answer for their own acts, and nothing else."
Maître Denis Dreyfus, who represents several victims, declared himself "very satisfied" with the decision. He told the AFP that the recognition of the aggravating circumstance would help his clients to approach the trial "with greater peace of mind" after "the massive media coverage and instrumentalisation of this case".
Return to the events of November 2023
In the night of 18 to 19 November 2023, young people from the Monnaie district in Romans-sur-Isère had clashed with a group of young people from Crépol at the end of the village's winter ball. Knives had been drawn; four people were seriously injured. Thomas Perotto, 16, a rugby enthusiast, died during his transport to hospital.
The fourteen young people arrested had all been put under investigation for murder and attempted murder in an organised group. None admitted to delivering the fatal blow, even during a virtual reconstruction organised a year after the events.
Political reactions
The tragedy had provoked strong emotion in the media and political sphere. The right and far right had notably seized on the case to denounce what they describe as anti-White racism in the suburbs. A far-right demonstration had taken place in the Monnaie district shortly after the events.
On Friday, the LR mayor of Romans-sur-Isère, Marie-Hélène Thoraval, welcomed the judges' decision to retain "the aggravating circumstance of anti-White and anti-French racism", writing on X: "Confronting reality is essential!" The president of the LR group in the National Assembly, Laurent Wauquiez, agreed on the same social network, arguing that "for too long, some have preferred to turn a blind eye".
Source: Google News MA — Crime (fr)