the essential
Wednesday December 18 in Auch, Jean-François Narbalas and his son Abraham Garcia were sentenced on appeal to 25 and 20 years of criminal imprisonment by the Gers Assize Court for the murder of France Piechocki. John Narbalas was acquitted of this crime.
“This woman gave her trust to people and they killed her. She opened the door to her tormentors. She died under the blows for a Mc Do, pairs of shoes and 500 euros in cash,” asserted Me Jean-François Renaudie, counsel for the daughter of France Piechocki, the first lawyer to launch the ball of pleadings on this fourth day trial.
This Wednesday, December 18, during the final day of the appeal trial for the murder of France Piechocki before the Gers Assize Court, in Auch, the prosecution and defense delivered their arguments to the jurors and judges. With the main question: will Abraham Garcia and John Narbalas, the two sons of Jean-François Narbalas, be condemned once again for this crime? This is also the central question in this trial. At first instance, they were both sentenced to 22 years of criminal imprisonment. The day before, Tuesday December 17, Jean-François Narbalas, patriarch of a settled Spanish gypsy family, had once again taken responsibility for the murder of the retired nurse in Passage d’Agen, on November 10, 2020. Sentenced to 28 years of criminal confinement at the Lot-et-Garonne assizes, in March 2023, the one who confessed to the murder once again released his two children.
“She was in her pajamas and they massacred her”
A version of the defendants contested by the civil party and the public prosecutor. “The strategy is to sacrifice the father to save the sons,” said Me Renaudie at the bar. “My clients had come to finally have an explanation. This is the only thing they expected from the trial. And, four years after the fact, they still don’t believe it. Jean-François Narbalas fixes reality. And again yesterday, that’s what he did, added Me Marie Andolfatto, lawyer for the septuagenarian’s granddaughter. France Piechocki was in her pajamas and they massacred her. They didn’t give him a chance. She was beaten badly by people she trusted, people she always helped. »
The public prosecutor, who requested 30 years of criminal imprisonment for the three accused (as in first instance), also supported the possible participation of the sons in the crime. “One doesn’t go without the other two. They are still together, declared the attorney general in her requisitions. Because that’s their way of life and that’s how they operate. When they go to France Piechocki, the goal is common. It is to find in the victim the means to help the family financially. And France Piechocki is a person they know, a person who has a stable life, a person who lives alone. This is a person they consider ideal prey. »
“Cowards are those who follow the dark side”
A speech by the representative of the public prosecutor who was introduced by quoting a sentence from the Star Wars saga. “One of the main characters, Master Yoda, says, “Cowards are those who follow the dark side.” We have a father and two sons who have done everything to disguise the truth of the facts, a judicial truth. A way also to try to mislead the readers of this file and those who judged them for the first time. The lie and the dark side have been in place since the day of France Piechocki’s murder. »
A quote that will delight moviegoers, but which the defense did not fail to comment on. The three lawyers for the accused also filed a conclusion of incident following the requisitions of the public prosecutor, which the court took note of.
“Following the heavy requisitions, I am in cold anger. An anger that takes over my eyes and makes me want to cry, exclaimed Me Romain Lehmann, counsel for John Narbalas, towards the jury. The general counsel wants to serve you on a science fiction platter, the dark side of the force. »
The accused “are locked up, almost suffocated”, in a “clan” system
For his part, Me Edouard Martial, who is defending Abraham Garcia, asked the prosecution for “proof” of his client’s participation in the murder. “The word proof is important. And the public prosecutor must not absolve himself of his duties, particularly in terms of proof. And so I expect you to submit some to Abraham Garcia’s participation desk. Because there is none. »
Finally, the defense lawyers returned to the functioning of the gypsy family, “a central element which permeates this case”. “They are locked up, almost suffocated”, in a “clan” system, explains Me Lehmann. “Without taking into account the culture of this community, we cannot understand how we got here,” says Me Katy Mira, lawyer for Jean-François Narbalas. It was easier for my client to find the words yesterday, in a room where there were no members of his family. This was not the case at first instance in Agen, where the room was full of members of the community. »
In the evening, the Gers Assize Court delivered its verdict a little after midnight. She sentenced Jean-François Nabarlas and Abraham Garcia to 25 and 20 years of criminal imprisonment for murder. John Nabarlas was acquitted for this crime, but sentenced to 4 years in prison for the bank card fraud. In pre-trial detention since 2020, he could be released in the coming days. At the end of the hearing, Mr. Martial, angry after the court decision, suggested that he was going to appeal to the Supreme Court.
