In the furnace of the Niort courthouse, the Deux-Sèvres assize court has had a lot to do since June 24, the date of the start of a trial, that of the father of little Kéan, who died in 2009 after ten days of coma. He was only six weeks old. Justice accuses Frédéric Fernandez of being at the origin of the death of his son. The accused rejects all guilt.
“I gave him life, I had to authorize his death”
One question crystallizes the trial: did little Kéan die of shaken baby syndrome? To try to provide an answer, the interrogations continued. A ball of appearances at the bar by doctors who examined the child fifteen years ago, but also by relatives of the accused and the civil parties, jostled by the numerous pointed questions from the lawyers.
But no one is able to tell the story of the events, only the accused and Kéan’s mother can. Gaëlle Millard-Coatalem was barely 20 years old when she lost her son. On Thursday, June 27, 2024, at the end of the day, she gave her version of the facts in a poignant account: “I met Kéan’s father in Marseille, I was very much in love. But I was young and fragile, I had been raped at 15. He started to be violent before Kéan was born.”
She then details that night in December 2009: “I was woken up at 5 a.m. by Kéan crying while he was with his father. He held him with his arms outstretched, I didn’t see any violent gesture on his part. My son was screaming but suddenly he stopped. His arms fell, he was like a rag doll. » This is where the accused then performed a cardiac massage on the child before being taken into care by emergency services.
The emotion is strong at the hearing, the thirty-year-old tries not to flinch. She wants to continue her story: “At the hospital, my son was unrecognizable. But I still had this hope that he would be saved when he was in a coma. » But doctors tell the couple that the child is doomed. He will be taken off life support ten days after the night of the tragedy. “We needed our agreement for that, she specifies. Just two months ago, I gave birth to my child. And I had to allow his death.”
“If you knew how guilty I feel.”
At that moment, Gaëlle Millard-Coatalem did not think at any time that her son could have been shaken: “It was unimaginable for me. The birth had been difficult. This cause of death was easier to accept. » But questions remained for the young woman as a daughter was born to the couple in 2011, a year before her parents’ final separation. In 2014, her bosses advised her to write to the courts to find out where the investigation was at after Kéan’s death.
In 2016, an expert report concluded for the first time that there was shaken baby syndrome. “It confirmed my doubts, she explains. At that time, my head was falling apart. I attempted suicide. My new companion saved me in time. » The latter is now her husband, they had two daughters together.
For the court, there remain inconsistencies in her statements reported over the years, with time and the evasive statements of various witnesses not helping. The accused, for his part, thinks she wants revenge. “The defense attorney calls me a liar, but I’m telling the truth. Put me in jail if you want, she finally let go in a moment of weakness. If you only knew how guilty I feel.”
After these statements, the accused had to in turn speak about the facts. Friday June 28, 2024, the day promises to be busy with interventions from lawyers from each camp and requisitions from the general advocate. The verdict will be pronounced in the evening.
