Why did the former boxer kill his girlfriend’s ex-partner near Caen?

For three days, from Monday July 1 to Wednesday July 3, 2024, the Calvados Assize Court examine the murder of a 28-year-old manin September 2020 at Carpiquetnext to Caen. In the defendant’s box, a former professional boxernew partner of the victim’s ex-partner.

Who is the man being tried by the Calvados Assize Court?

Since Monday, July 1, the magistrates and jurors of the Calvados Assize Court have been judging Mehdi D. Aged 34, he is accused of having killed Romain F., his partner’s ex-partner, in September 2020, in Carpiquet. A former professional boxer, Mehdi D. ran a night bar in Caen at the time of the events. His record contains twenty mentions, including thefts, acts of violence and traffic offenses. He appeared in a state of legal recidivism after being convicted in 2008 for the rape of a minor.

He incurs the life imprisonmentHe admits to being the author of the fatal shots but explains that he “did not want to get to that point”. According to him, he was very afraid for his partner.

What happened that night?

On September 12, 2020, at around 4:20 a.m., the police were called to a residence located at 39, rue de Bayeux, in the Bellevue district of Carpiquet. Residents heard Gunshots et a man lies on the groundon the sidewalk, in a pool of blood.

Despite the intervention of the firefighters, the SMUR doctor declared the victim dead on the spot at 5:30 in the morning. He is Romain F., a 28-year-old man. He died from three shots from a shotgun: two with lead cartridges and a third with a Brenneke ballwhose cartridge was found in the chamber of the rifle barrel. According to experts, this projectile can be lethal even when fired from 1,000 meters away.

Mehdi D. was arrested shortly afterwards.

What was the victim doing there?

Former partner of Mehdi D.’s concubine, Romain F. is said to have gone to the foot of their building in the middle of the night, on his way back from a birthday party in Louvigny. He is said to have wanted an explanation. The young woman, who was aware of this nocturnal visit, is said to have came down to meet himto ask him to “leave them alone”.

Drunk, Romain held a bottle of whiskey by hand. He allegedly threatened Mehdi with it while trying to hit him twice. Mehdi then went back up to the apartment. “To look for gas canisters”, intended to put Romain to flight. Not finding them, he then grabbed the shotgun that his friends had given him a few months earlier, for his 30th birthday. “I had never used it before and didn’t know he was loadedIt is“, he assured the hearing, as he had already said during the investigation. “I thought the man was going to run away. Besides, I didn’t even know it was Romain.”

According to the accused, the first shot was fired while he was operating the pump of the rifle. The other two? “I can’t explain them,” he agreed.

What were the discussions about?

Mehdi D. admitted to being the author of the shots that caused the death of Romain F., the trial revolved around the circumstances of the tragedy. How were the shots fired? And why didn’t the accused, a former boxer, simply “smash the victim’s face”, as the presiding judge Jeanne Chéenne asked him?

Ballistic and forensic experts, did not all draw the same conclusions of their observations. For one, the Brenneke bullet entered the victim’s body through the back, before exiting through the neck, while Romain was falling to the ground. For the others, the projectile entered through the neck and exited through the back after shattering seven of his ribs. In this hypothesis, Romain was already collapsed, or on his knees, and Mehdi was above him.

In other words, was this last shot fired “in panic”, as Mehdi claims, or did it “finish off” Romain?

As for why the former boxer did not use his fists, he gave a surprising answer.

Boxing is in the gym. My coaches always told me that you don’t solve your problems with violence. My only concern was to protect my partner.

The trial continues tomorrow, Wednesday, July 3. The verdict is expected at the end of the day.

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