Murder at Pau's Zénith: two suspects in pre-trial detention blame each other
Rayan M., 20, was killed by knife wounds in the car park of the Zénith in Pau on 3 May. The two men implicated, aged 23 and 27, deny responsibility.
Homicide in the Zénith car park: the two implicated remain in custody
According to larepubliquedespyrenees.fr, the two suspects involved in the murder of Rayan M., 20, in the car park of the Zénith in Pau, are blaming each other for responsibility for the fatal knife wounds. The two men, aged 23 and 27, remain in pre-trial detention.
Police were alerted on Sunday 3 May at around 22:15 to an individual wounded by a bladed weapon. Transported urgently to hospital, Rayan M. died around 23:00. Initial medical findings noted "two wounds to the cardiac area by bladed weapon". Witnesses reported that four people — two men and two women — had fled in a Peugeot 207.
The four presented themselves at the police station in staggered fashion during the night of 3 to 4 May. The two young women handed themselves in to authorities at around 02:30. According to available information, they remained in the vehicle and were not direct witnesses to the violence. Me Denise Pombieilh, solicitor for one of them, stated: "I am assisting a young woman who is devastated. Her partner is in prison and a 20-year-old man is dead."
The 27-year-old suspect handed himself in at the police station on Monday morning. Heard in the presence of Me Julien Marco, then Me Thierry Sagardoytho, he benefited from the assistance of these two solicitors. The latter declared: "The investigation which is beginning will have to clarify the actions of each person. It is now crucial that the legitimate emotion born of the tragedy gives way to a meticulous and thorough investigation."
The fourth suspect, actively sought by the inter-departmental judicial police unit (SIPJ) in Pau, finally presented himself during the evening of 4 May. Aged 23, he was placed in police custody in the presence of Me Christophe Arcaute.
On 19 May, the court of first instance rejected a request for release submitted on behalf of the younger of the two men. His solicitor, Me Arcaute, believed that the three other implicated parties had "agreed to make him take the fall".
Prosecutor Rodolphe Jarry clarified the probable course of events following the initial investigative steps. The victim would have been driving in the car park where the two couples were spending the evening consuming alcohol. He would have made "several circuits", during which "exchanges of looks" would have taken place, before parking approximately fifty metres from the group. "The two men were then moving towards the vehicle and, in circumstances yet to be clarified, knife blows were inflicted on the driver", the magistrate clarified.
The judicial investigation continues to determine the extent of each suspect's responsibility in the death of Rayan M.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)