It is a story of nameless barbarism. On June 16, 2021, Abdelkader Belarbia and his friend of Russian origin, David Malioukof, park their car in the undergrowth near the small town of Nexon, in Haute-Vienne. The two men have only one idea in mind: to avenge Abdelkader, recently left by his ex-partner, Cécilia Peroux, 33 years old. They went to her home, managed to break in and began to brutalize her. Pierrick, a neighbor of Cécilia, is alerted by the noises. Showing immense courage, he intervenes to try to defend the young woman, risking his own life.
Abdelkader and David, overcome with murderous rage, attacked Pierrick for many minutes, inflicting 26 stab wounds. Cécilia Peroux, too, is murdered in cold blood. The two murderers then decide to burn down the house to erase the evidence, despite the presence of Cécilia’s three young children upstairs. The latter will narrowly escape death.
An unleashing of violence on Pierrick’s body
“They blew my child’s head off with table legs!” What can justify such barbarity? » Hélène Berthier, Pierrick’s mother, barely leaves the audience. His voice is still shaky on the phone. “Today we talked about the autopsy. Even the medical examiner couldn’t believe it, he said he had never seen such violence…” Attending the trial of her son’s murderers is an unbearable ordeal for Hélène, especially since the accused refuse to acknowledge their guilt. “They suddenly have amnesia! One says he has forgotten everything, the other claims to have dealt ‘only’ a few blows…”she says, disillusioned.
The bodies of Pierrick and Cécilia were charred
However, Abdelkader Belarbia and David Malioukof are not their first misdeeds. The two men met in prison. The first was convicted in 2019 for threatening to kill his former partner. The second, “with a body covered in tattoos in Cyrillic”in the words of Hélène Berthier, is also known to French justice, particularly for acts of theft. At the stand, the two accomplices shift the blame, hesitate, and deny outright the facts with which they are accused. “When the photographs of my son’s corpse were shown to the audience, Abdelkader lowered his eyes, he did not have the courage to look at my child even once. Is he ashamed? »asks Pierrick’s mother, mixing sadness and anger.
An exemplary court decision is expected by the families
The trial, which began Monday, is expected to end next Thursday. It is the culmination of three years of investigation and legal proceedings. But this is also the moment when Pierrick’s family will finally be able to say goodbye to him, the young man not yet having a proper burial, his remains having remained accessible to forensic doctors as part of the investigation. “I expect justice to recognize the seriousness of the facts, the absolute horror that Pierrick and Cécilia suffered”explains Hélène Berthier, conscious, however, “that they will surely appeal the judges’ decision”.
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After the arson of Cécilia’s house, both bodies were charred. “I couldn’t hug him, I couldn’t say goodbye to him. I had to give my DNA for them to identify his body! »says Pierrick’s mother, still upset. “I want people to know who these criminals are, to see their faces. And I hope they spend their lives in prison! »
To better overcome this ordeal, Hélène Berthier created an association, “Stop Aggression”in order to raise awareness among young people about the violence that is plaguing France. It is also a way for her to remember every day the heroic courage of her son, who tried to save his neighbor Cécilia from certain death. “Pierrick was a generous boy. I remember sometimes he would come home and ask us for some money for gas. Not because he wasted his salary, but because he lent money to friends who needed it more than he did…”
Abdelkader refused to hear the families’ testimony
This evening, the victims’ families will be able to speak to the jurors. Helene hopes “don’t break down”but she deplores the absence of Abdelkader Belarbia, who refused to appear at the hearing, aware of the numerous testimonies which overwhelm him. The two men, tried for the same facts, risk life imprisonment. But neither Pierrick nor Cécilia will return to their loved ones. Far from being a simple news item doomed to oblivion, their story reveals a deeper symptom: that of a France which, every day, sinks a little deeper into daily hyperviolence.
