A 21-year-old young man was indicted for aggravated intentional homicide in Morteau (Doubs), near the Swiss border, after the fatal attack of a 59-year-old cook because of his sexual orientation. According to the first elements of the investigation, the victim “would have made advances towards him”.
The affair began on Wednesday, November 6, when the fifty-year-old, resident of Montlebon, finished his shift and joined a group of young people in a bar in the city center for a drink. Among them is also the suspect. Shortly after midnight, the two left the establishment together, with no visible signs of tension. But, a few moments later, the situation deteriorates. Passersby saw, horrified, the young man attacking the fifty-year-old, hitting him several times until he caused a cardio-respiratory arrest, explains macommune.info. Emergency services intervened quickly, but despite their efforts, the victim did not survive.
Law enforcement intercepted the suspect nearby, his shoes still stained with blood. In police custody, he admitted the facts, explaining that the victim's advances triggered uncontrollable anger in him, reinforced by the alcohol and drugs consumed during the evening. On his phone, investigators discovered three videos of the attack, filmed and shared by the suspect on Snapchat. The recordings show the victim first sitting with his face bloody, then lying down, emitting increasingly faint sounds, before becoming silent under the violence of the blows.
Étienne Manteaux, public prosecutor of Besançon, described these videos as “difficult to sustain”testifying to the extreme brutality of the attack.
Already known to the police for acts of violence, the suspect was indicted for aggravated intentional homicide, due to the sexual orientation of the victim, and placed in pre-trial detention. He faces life imprisonment.
STOP Homophobia expresses its sincere support to the family and loved ones of the victim, deeply touched by this tragedy. We reaffirm our commitment to fighting homophobic violence and our determination to act to ensure that such acts do not happen again. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy.
