At the helm, the firefighter, first to arrive on the scene, plunges himself into the drama again. “We were called for a stabbing between a brother and sister. Given the calmness of Steven Baffou, I did not expect to discover such a horror scene, testifies the sapper. The victim was lying on his back in the kitchen, near the cupboards, there was blood and spatter everywhere on the floor and on the walls. I noticed at least ten wounds, particularly on the right lung,” he describes. “Grace Paurion was unconscious, she was no longer breathing. We tried to resuscitate her for more than 40 minutes, but we were never successful. Steven Baffou kept repeating: ‘I didn’t want to hurt him’. »
From his first hearing, he described all the facts in great detail, it was surprising at that stage.
This calmness of the accused, the polar opposite of his surge of violence, also challenged the police officer in charge of the investigation. “From his first hearing, he described what had happened in a very precise, very detailed way, to the point that I had to tell him to speak slower, which was very surprising at that stage. » Steven Baffou immediately explains that “he and Grace Paurion were not together but had been living for a few weeks ‘like a couple’”.
“That evening,” continues the police officer, “she told him about her boyfriend and his sexual antics. He asked her to stop, but she continued. He got up from the couch and punched her, then strangled her. She then bit him on the little finger. He lets go but grabs a knife and grabs her by the hair. He says that she begged him to stop, but that he hit all the same, first in the lower abdomen (it was more under the chest, Editor’s note.), then in the scalp, neck , cheeks. Then let him pass the knife twice to his throat. He says he ‘felt the skin under the blade’. Then slapped the back and felt air escaping. He then realized he had hit a lung. She collapsed to the ground, and he says that’s when he realized what he had just done. »
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“It’s a monster”
It’s too much for Grace’s family. “He’s a monster, he’s a monster,” cracks the victim’s mother, collapsed, before leaving the courtroom. Just before the photos of the crime scene, the weapon, traces of blood are projected on the screens, so that the jurors can see. The room holds its breath in the face of horror.
How could this 21-year-old end up with such violence, why didn’t he stop in time? The psychologist and psychiatrist experts tried to enlighten the court. “Borderline disorders” for the first, “a passage to action where there is no longer any thought, just the body which acts, like a machine to stop frustration”. The second is not entirely of this opinion. The psychiatrist rules out any mental pathology, “Steven Baffou is fully responsible for his actions. I would not speak of borderline elements, rather of a personality disharmony with elements of abandonment, educational and intellectual deficiencies and an inability to manage frustration.” He notes that “Steven explains perfectly that on the day of the incident, it was the victim’s words that he could not stand. That he was also aroused, that he had an erection, that he wanted sex and that Grace refused.”
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“And was he aware that he was killing someone?” », asks general advocate Mathieu Auriol. “Yes,” says the psychiatrist. “How can you be sure?” », Rebounces defense lawyer Armand Tanoh. “I don’t have 300% certainty, but I haven’t noticed any loss of consciousness or a psychotic personality.”
The hearing will resume Thursday with hearings from the forensic doctor and Grace Paurion’s family. The accused will also be questioned about the facts. Steven Baffou faces 30 years of criminal imprisonment. Verdict expected Friday.
