a man sentenced to twenty-eight years of criminal imprisonment for killing his wife, whose death had “upset” justice

A 54-year-old man was sentenced on Friday October 11 by the Assize Court of Seine-Saint-Denis to twenty-eight years of criminal imprisonment for having killed his wife, under the protection of the courts, by stabbing her 16 times downstairs from her home in Epinay-sur-Seine.

After more than four hours of deliberation, the court found Khalid Fahem guilty of the murder of Bouchra Bouali, in November 2021, nine days after his release from prison, where he was serving a sentence for domestic violence. The court took into account “the intention to kill her”which the accused had expressed, and “extreme violence” of the act, committed with their two children “not far”.

At the time, this former nightclub physiognomist had just benefited from a three-week early release. However, justice had forgotten to warn the victim, who benefited from protection protocols.

The judicial community shaken

Living in extreme fear to the point of equipping herself with a Taser and tear gas canister, this 44-year-old woman “breathed” as long as she believed her husband was still behind bars. “The death of Bouchra Bouali shocked the entire legal community, particularly the magistrates of the Bobigny public prosecutor’s office, and first and foremost those who knew her because they protected her”conceded the attorney general, Marina Kieny, in her indictment.

The prosecution recognizes the error of not having warned this manager of a ready-to-wear business of the exit of her spouse – something a decree made compulsory in France after this resounding crime. Would that have been enough to avoid this tragedy in the face of the murderous resolve of a man fascinated by knives?

“All he cares about in life is money, his image and killing my mother. These are the three interests of his life”described her 17-year-old eldest daughter, who was chatting on the phone with her mother at the time of the murder, in testimony as implacable as it was moving.

Khalid Fahem could not stand his wife’s freedom. He, who could neither read nor write, had seen her acquire the marital home alone in 2014, then that of a ready-to-wear store, in 2018, where he was only a simple employee. However, in this spring of 2021, she announces their breakup. It’s the seesaw. “He didn’t kill for love. He killed because for him, it’s the day the last domino falls (…)this day when his image will definitively crack, that of the father, of the worker”analyzed his lawyer, Agathe Grenouillet, in her pleading. He threatens his wife with death, tells her that he will “cut her throat” with a knife. Bouchra files a complaint, which leads to the first incarceration of Khalid Fahem.

Equipped to defend yourself

Concerned about the profile of the accused, with a clean criminal record, the Bobigny public prosecutor’s office and a specialized association provided Bouchra with a serious danger telephone, which allows the police to be quickly alerted. Despite this, Bouchra lives on the lookout. In the street, she keeps turning around. She installs a video surveillance camera in her home, changes the lock, and equips herself to defend herself. “She even bought a bulletproof vest. I was shocked with my sisters. But she said “he’s a coward, he can stab me in the back” »said her big sister, Rahma Bouali, sobbing on the stand.

In his cell, Khalid Fahem broods. “He planned to kill his wife. He had no other plans. Just kill her and go back to prison.”reported one of his former fellow prisoners in Fleury-Mérogis, heard by videoconference. On November 17, 2021, it is released. On the evening of November 26, sheltered from the cold and the rain in a rental car, the fifty-year-old waited for Bouchra Bouali at the foot of the tower where she lived. During these two hours of waiting, he sees their two daughters aged 5 and 14 come home from school, sharpens the kitchen knife he has just bought in a supermarket, nibbles on candy. The blows will be so violent that the blade of the knife will be deformed. “I didn’t do it on purpose (…) the shots went off like that”evaded Khalid Fahem in the box, unable to explain his gesture.

On average, a feminicide occurs every three days in France. According to the Ministry of Justice, there were 94 in 2023, compared to 118 in 2022.