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Six days after the opening of an investigation into the attempted homicide of a jogger in the Gard, a suspect was placed in pre-trial detention this Sunday, January 19 after admitting the facts with which he is accused. Back to the case.
The man suspected of having attacked a jogger with a knife in the Gard has been indicted for attempted murder, announced the deputy public prosecutor of Nîmes Frédéric Kocher, Sunday January 19.
The victim's condition stabilized
The drama took place on Saturday January 11, late in the morning. While running in the Vergèze park, in the Gard, a 44-year-old woman was brutally attacked. She received several stab wounds.
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With three wounds to her neck, one to her chest and one to her left shoulder, the jogger's life was in jeopardy. After the operation, the mother of five's condition finally stabilized.
Victim's DNA found in suspect's home
Following the attack, the public prosecutor of Nîmes, Cécile Gensac, announced the opening of an investigation into attempted homicide on January 12. More than 70 gendarmes, supported by a drone, a helicopter and the dog brigade were deployed and a call for witnesses was launched.
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After six days of investigation carried out by the Nîmes research section with the support of the gendarmes of the Gard departmental gendarmerie group, the prosecutor informed of the “placement in police custody of an individual”, Friday January 17 in the evening.
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Law enforcement found clothing bearing the victim's DNA at the suspect's home. A weapon, also found in the young man's home, bore “the blood of the victim”, according to the words of Frédéric Kocher, deputy prosecutor of Nîmes, reported by France Bleu Gard Lozère.
Concerning the motivations of the attacker, the gendarmerie believes that it was a “chance encounter” and that the latter had no connection with the victim.
The suspect placed in pre-trial detention
After six days of searching, the suspect was arrested at his home on Friday, January 17, in the evening. Aged 25, the young man lives near the park where the runner was attacked. He explained to investigators that he “had taken a knife” to attack someone, according to the deputy prosecutor.
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With a clean criminal record, the individual would be psychiatrically unstable. The day before the attack, Friday January 10, the man was leaving a stay in a psychiatric hospital after having been authorized there. He was placed in pre-trial detention.
