The question of the discernment of Hamza Charfeddine, the accused, will be at the heart of the debates during his trial, which will be held from Tuesday November 12 to Thursday November 14, in Saintes. Was he in possession of his means at the time of the events or in the midst of a paranoia crisis? The Charente-Maritime Assize Court must judge this Rochefortais then aged 29 for having attempted to kill his 23-year-old neighbor, mother of a 15-month-old child, on the night of February 23, 2021.
It is 3:01 a.m. when she is awakened by the doorbell. She warns a friend by SMS, without success. The knocking on the door continues. Insults too: “Answer me dirty whore, answer me bitch. » Frightened, she tries to call her mother, in vain. Her brother calls her back. He runs with their father-in-law. In the meantime, Hamza Charfeddine manages to break down the door. As for the rest of the events, she and her assailant do not remember anything.
Incoherent remarks
The victim's brother and father-in-law, arriving at the building, rush up the floors and come face to face with the attacker, who begins to chase them up the stairs, still armed with his kitchen knife. The two men manage to escape and hide for a few seconds before finally being able to find the young mother and her boy. In the apartment, the two men found the child crying, his face stained with blood. Then his mother, also covered in hemoglobin.
And it doesn't stop there. Hamza Charfeddine returns to the apartment and attacks the father-in-law in the dining room, punching him in the back of the head, while making incoherent comments. The victim's brother manages to hit the 30-year-old in the back with a knife. The attacker will be arrested a few minutes later at his home, but not without resistance. This night will leave a very traumatic memory for the young mother.
It appears that this 29-year-old man, unemployed, suffers from psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, bipolarity) requiring treatment, and has been doing so since 2017. His relatives informed investigators that he had been arrested for several months. In the past, he had several stays in a psychiatric hospital. When he has seizures, he hears voices. According to those close to him, until this dramatic night in February 2021, he had never been violent.
