This Tuesday, July 2, before the Assize Court of Aude, the second day devoted to the homicide with a screwdriver, which occurred in Castelnaudary in 2021, began at the Carcassonne courthouse. Analysis of the autopsy and reactions of direct witnesses were on the program. The verdict is expected this Wednesday, July 3.
Contradictions and unspoken things continue to arise in the case of the screwdriver murder that took place in Castelnaudary in 2021. This Tuesday, July 2, the Aude Assize Court began the 2e day dedicated to this case, the verdict of which will be given this Wednesday, July 3. Early in the morning, while the jurors, the president Charles Pinarel, the lawyers and the accused Nicolas Dufour were taking their places, a first witness brought as a civil party appeared in court. A former partner of the victim, Jean-Christophe Baroudi, to whom she was married before divorcing in 2015: “I knew him for a good ten years. He always had bad company. Nicolas was often there for me when Jean-Christophe went elsewhere. He was always volatile in his relationships.”
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Shortly afterwards, the medical examiner who carried out the autopsy on Jean-Christophe Baroudi revealed his observations and analyses to the court. It was noted that “two attempts at resuscitation were observed the evening the victim’s body was discovered.” She continued: “His death was recorded around 2:20 a.m. on the night of July 29 to 30, 2021. Following our work, multiple injuries were noted, including a temporal wound whose penetration was measured at 4 to 5 cm deep, thus affecting the cerebellum and the brainstem. This is the only injury responsible for the death of Jean-Christophe Baroudi.” Following this revelation, President Charles Pinarel turned again to Nicolas Dufour: “Your multiple statements supporting the fact that you only hit the victim once, that she had a bad fall leading to her death do not hold up. It would have been necessary, by some unknown chain of circumstances, for the screwdriver to have been held firmly vertically for Jean-Christophe Baroudi’s fall to cause such damage to the eardrum on the left side of his face.” When questioned, the accused maintained his previous statements.
I heard Jean-Christophe say ‘Mom, Mom, help, I’m scared’, then silence.
The successive interventions of two direct witnesses, present on the evening of the tragedy, did not help the court to see things more clearly. The first showed little inclination to provide evidence. His testimony was limited to: “a quiet evening at the start, the atmosphere of which was tarnished by Nicolas’ nervousness, very annoyed that his partner had ended their relationship, who pushed Jean-Christophe, making him fall heavily to the ground”.
On the night of July 29 to 30, this man will be arrested with the accused. A photo of the former is taken on which we can see traces on the cheek symptomatic of a blow. President Charles Pinarel confronted the witness with this observation, relying on one of his previous statements in which he admits to having been hit by Nicolas Dufour, and to having isolated himself in one of the rooms of the apartment where the events took place. The main person concerned repeated “that he didn’t remember”. The 2e direct witness, a homeless man who lived for a time with the victim, also present on the night of July 29 to 30, 2021, was just as taciturn and incoherent, despite requests from the attorney general, Lisa Kratz, and the defense attorney, Emmanuel Le Coz.
On the other hand, an ear witness, a neighbour of Jean-Christophe Baroudi, revealed several elements: “I heard screams ‘he’s dead, he’s dead’, tears. I was at my window. I heard Jean-Christophe say ‘Mom, Mom, help, I’m scared’, then silence. Finally, I heard a female voice give an order ‘hide everything’.”
