Two years ago, the most publicized criminal case of recent years began in Deux-Sèvres. On the night of November 25 to 26, 2022, Leslie Hoorelbeke, 22, and Kevin Trompat, 21, were killed in cold blood in a house located in Prahecq, near Niort. From the disappearance of the couple first, to the discovery of the remains a few months later, including the arrest of five suspects, the case hit the headlines in 2023.
But if we could imagine a “calmer” year 2024, it is clear that events continued until October, the date of the highly anticipated legal reconstitution of the case.
January 4: The “K” leaves prison
It was a surprise for many, starting with the relatives of the victims. Stevan Mathieu, alias “K”, one of the five suspects implicated in the case, is released after eight months spent in detention. The 25-year-old man was not present the night of the assassination, he had been called by the suspects the next day for one purpose: to make the bodies of Leslie and Kevin disappear. Today, he remains indicted for altering a crime scene and concealment of a corpse and is placed under the status of assisted witness.
March 5: Enzo Challat released in turn
Second twist of the year, a second suspect finds freedom. This is Enzo Challat, 24 years old, placed under judicial supervision. Although indicted for murder, Enzo Challat obtained his release after a year of detention because his role in the affair seems to be reduced only to that of the driver of the car, who was waiting outside when the couple was killed. Here again, this announcement is experienced as a trauma for the families of Kevin and Leslie.
April 3: Nathan Badji is violently attacked in prison
Considered the lieutenant of Tom Trouillet, mutual friend of the murdered couple and main suspect, Nathan Badji would have played a very important role during Prahecq's night of horror. On April 3, the 23-year-old young man was the victim of an attack “particularly violent” within the prison where he is incarcerated, according to the La Rochelle prosecutor. An investigation must determine whether or not the perpetrators acted under the orders of a sponsor, out of revenge.
May 31: Tom Trouillet’s confessions leak to the press
Revelations that he would have preferred not to see come out. In May, the newspaper The Parisian reveals having obtained the psychiatric expertise of Tom Trouillet, considered to be the mastermind of the ambush set up that evening against Leslie and Kevin. The couple's mutual friend, who would have acted as much out of romantic disappointment as out of debt against a background of narcotics, explains to the psychiatrist that he did not want to kill the victims, but to steal money and drugs from Kevin. The situation, still according to him, would have degenerated.
August 13: Mickaël Zadi gives up requesting his release
A double assassination with three out of five suspects at large? This is what almost happened last August, when Mickaël Zadi, one of the suspects indicted for the couple's assassination, tried to request his release before the investigating chamber of the court of appeal. from Poitiers. Before finally giving up.
October 2 and 3: the reconstruction brings together the five suspects
It sounded like the end of a chapter, the one devoted to the investigation. The reconstruction of the assassination, performed in two acts at the beginning of October, made it possible to confront the five suspects, all present, with their respective statements. An important step which should mark the end of the instruction. While we still don't know what 2025 has in store for us regarding this affair, all sources close to the matter guarantee it: “The trial will take place in 2026.”
