In November 2019, a tragedy shakes the small town of Agnetz in Oise. Father Matassoli, a religious figure respected by residents, is found in a pool of blood at his home. The autopsy reveals a crime of rare violence: a crucifix was found in the esophagus of the 91-year-old priest.
An individual, arrested on a road in Val-d’Oise, near Paris, for dangerous driving, confesses to the murder. His name is Alexandre, 19 years old. The young driver knew the deceased well, a family friend, whom he visited regularly. If Alexandre admits his crime, he swears that he remembers nothing. After his arrest, the young man was directly transferred to a psychiatric hospital.
When questioned, Alexandre says that he suffers from hallucinations that have become more and more invasive, to the point that they pushed him to commit the irreparable. The profile of the young man is intriguing: why did he attack this priest? According to his mother, Alexandre’s behavior worsened over the course of his visits to Father Matassoli. To the point of turning into schizophrenia.
He did something bad, but he’s also a victim
Alexander’s mother
At the same time, tongues are being loosened in the commune of Agnetz. Roger Matassoli has been implicated and is implicated by several men for acts of sexual assault dating back to 1984. All these files were closed without further action.
Before the investigators, Alexandre explained that he had been himself a victim sexual abuse by the priest. For the mother of the accused, it was a shock. “He did something serious, but he is also a victim,” she says in Criminal investigations.
The revelations don’t stop there. The silence surrounding this affair has caused many other victims, including Alexandre’s father, also a victim of the priest’s sexual abuse. A hold he would never have been able to break away from. “I’m mad at my ex-husband for taking my son there. He gave my son to pasture and I have the impression of having thrown Alexandre into the den of the wolf, without knowing it,” she continues.
On December 26, 2019, Alexandre was incarcerated for aggravated murder with acts of torture and barbarity. In July 2021, the courts nevertheless decided to put an end to the procedure. The young man, who never intended to take the law into his own hands, is found criminally irresponsible by the Amiens Court of Appeal. He will never be judged for the murder of Father Matassoli.
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