Murder with torture in Charleville-Mézières: couple charged, 36 prior convictions on record
A couple faces life imprisonment for the murder of a 47-year-old man committed in late August in Charleville-Mézières, an ordeal filmed and broadcast on Snapchat.
Murder filmed on Snapchat in the Ardennes: charged couple faces life sentence
Google News FR — Crime (fr) reports that a couple was charged on Monday 31 August with "aggravated murder involving acts of torture and barbarism" following the violent death of a 47-year-old man in an apartment in Charleville-Mézières, during the night of 26 to 27 August. The scene was filmed and broadcast live on Snapchat.
The primary suspect, aged 37, fled after the incident. He was arrested on Sunday evening in Villeneuve-lès-Maguelonne, south of Montpellier (Hérault), by local gendarmerie, two days after the body was discovered. His partner, aged 27, was taken into police custody at the end of the week and subsequently charged. The investigation was assigned to the Reims public prosecutor's office.
Alert issued via a video on Snapchat
Law enforcement was alerted on Thursday 27 August at around 13:00 by the anonymous call of a woman who, according to a statement by the Reims prosecutor François Schneider, "had just seen a video on Snapchat in which a man was violently attacked and was dying on the ground". She stated that she recognised the attacker's voice, an identification subsequently confirmed by the sister of the accused and a former partner.
At the victim's home, police discovered a lifeless body. The autopsy revealed "very severe traumas to the face, in the cervical region, which had obstructed his airways, as well as thoracic injuries with fractured ribs". The prosecutor's office noted that the victim "also suffered very serious sexual violence" and that his genitals were mutilated. Neighbours confirm hearing sounds of quarrels between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., which corresponds, according to the prosecutor, to the time of death.
Suspect with extensive criminal record
The primary accused has 36 prior convictions for violence, theft and traffic offences. He admitted to "the violence" and acknowledged being the man visible in the videos. He cited rapes that the victim allegedly committed against him in exchange for narcotics, "against a backdrop of severe intoxication and equally massive drug consumption", according to the prosecutor. He made no statement concerning the sexual violence inflicted on the victim.
The prosecutor's statement describes "an orgy of violence beyond comprehension": the two suspects struck the victim with kicks, a fan and pieces of furniture, whilst filming the scene. The accused subsequently, with the assistance of his partner, inflicted sexual violence on the victim.
Minor heard, then released
A 17-year-old young woman, present in the apartment that night, was also questioned in police custody before being released without charge. According to her statement, the accused, his partner and she had gone to the victim's home to spend the evening together. All consumed large quantities of alcohol, as well as cocaine and "C" — a mixture of cocaine and ammonia. The victim then allegedly proposed sexual relations with the accused's partner in exchange for narcotics. The evening subsequently escalated.
In his initial statements, the primary suspect accused the minor of participating in the violence, a version repeated by his partner. However, the prosecutor's office emphasises that SMS messages exchanged between the two accused "may suggest that she is accusing the minor to cover herself". The 27-year-old partner mentions "lapses in memory". Her criminal record includes a conviction in 2026 for aggravated violence.
The minor stated she was terrified by the scene. She indicated that her telephone was grabbed from her and thrown to the ground, where it was found broken. François Schneider specified that she "did not witness the sexual mutilation". On 27 August, a person present at the probation service in Charleville-Mézières — where the accused had an appointment as part of a suspended sentence — had reported to investigators the presence of a 17-year-old young woman, of no fixed abode, wearing blood-stained clothing.
Life imprisonment sought
Presented on Monday evening to a judge from the criminal division of Reims, the two accused are being prosecuted for "murder with the circumstance that the acts were accompanied or followed by another crime, namely acts of torture and barbarism". A criminal detention order was issued against them. According to François Schneider, the couple faces life imprisonment.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)