Yacine A. sentenced to 28 years for murder of his partner hidden in a freezer in Grigny
The Essonne Assize Court found Yacine A. guilty of the murder of Armale Deodade Aïvohozin, who was shot dead in July 2023 in Grigny.
Twenty-eight years imprisonment for the murder of "Deo" in Grigny
Twenty-eight years imprisonment. The Essonne Assize Court sentenced Yacine A., aged 50, on Thursday for the murder of Armale Deodade Aïvohozin, nicknamed "Deo", who was shot dead in July 2023 in her flat in Grigny, in the Paris region. According to lematin.ch, the body of this mother of three children was subsequently concealed in a large freezer, wrapped in bin bags.
The sentence includes a custodial period of two-thirds and a ban from French territory at the end of incarceration. The prosecution had sought 30 years imprisonment. Before the verdict, the defendant once again apologised to the victim's family.
A second man, Rachid A., prosecuted for complicity in concealing the body, was sentenced to three years imprisonment. He was not remanded in custody following the hearing.
A version of events rejected by the jury
During the four-day hearing, Yacine A. maintained that the fatal shot was accidental. According to his account, on the evening of 19 July 2023, Deo told him she wanted to break up. He then pressed a pistol against his own temple, threatening to commit suicide, before a struggle ensued and a shot was fired involuntarily, striking the woman in her forties in the chest. He also accused Rachid A. of firing the second bullet, which struck the victim in the head.
Ballistic experts concluded that two similar shots were fired at close range, invalidating this version. For the prosecution, the murder occurred in a context of jealousy and possessiveness: those close to Deo had testified that she wished to end their relationship, and her best friend had intended to speak to her two days before her death.
Disappearance reported by eldest son
Deo's family had begun to worry about her disappearance from the day after the incident. Her eldest son, Mohamed, had dropped her off in Grigny on the evening of 19 July, believing she was meeting a friend. With no news from her, he returned to the place and met Yacine A., visibly intoxicated, who told him that he had been his mother's partner. Mohamed was unaware of this man's existence until then, as Deo had never introduced him to her family.
The body was discovered on 22 July 2023 by police in the defendant's flat, located above a butcher's shop where he was employed. The autopsy revealed two bullet impacts, to the thorax and the head.
A victim at the heart of her community
The trial also shed light on the victim's personality. Originally from Benin, Deo worked in the school sector and was described by those close to her as a joyful, sociable woman very attached to her family. She was mother to three sons.
Her eldest son, who now cares for his two younger brothers, recounted to the Court the final telephone exchange with his mother, a few minutes before her death. Nothing in her voice then suggested she was in danger.
The murder had caused considerable emotion in Grigny as well as in the Beninese diaspora. More than three years after the events, many of Deo's relatives had travelled there on Thursday to attend the verdict, some wearing t-shirts bearing her image.
Source: Google News MA — Crime (fr)