Perpignan Assize Court: Tried for a murder he only remembers “in flashes”

Two and a half years later, the Pyrénées-Orientales Assize Court will open the case concerning the death of Alexandre L. On May 31, 2022, at dawn, in the Tonkin district in the commune of Trouillas, the young man had been discovered dead, face down and half naked in the street, his body lacerated with several stab wounds.

Investigations immediately established that the victim had been staying for several weeks in a nearby house, with a “friend”, Nicolas R., aged around thirty, who served as the main suspect. He was immediately arrested.

During his first hearings, the accused, whose criminal record shows convictions for minor damage and violence against a partner, first explained that he had known Alexandre for three years, that they got along well and that both were temporarily staying with his mother. The evening before the crime, they would have spent their time consuming alcohol and drugs, more than usual, because they would not have had enough money to buy drugs. Between midnight and 2 a.m., they would have walked around the village, then returned. At 3 a.m., Nicolas R.'s mother left for work and told them to go to bed. For the rest of the night, he claimed to have no more memories.

“Traits of a serious personality disorder”

However, a few months later, before the investigating judge, he admitted to having had an argument with Alexandre about the purchase of cocaine. Without precise images of the stabbings, Nicolas R. would have seen himself “by flashes” shouting at the victim and being armed with a knife. He also admitted that he had been plagued by severe addictions since he was 14 (cannabis, LSD, heroin, etc.) and that, under the influence of psychotropic drugs and alcohol, he could become violent. This is confirmed by the personality report. From kindergarten, he showed behavioral problems which deteriorated over time. He required educational assistance from the age of 4-5. had joined several specialized establishments from the age of 7 and was urgently entrusted to child welfare services at the age of 11, as a victim of mistreatment within the family home.

In his conclusions, the expert psychiatrist concluded that his discernment was neither abolished nor impaired at the time of the crime. Although it presents “the traits of a serious personality disorder” and that his complete amnesia of the facts could be consistent with the context of abusive and voluntary consumption of toxic substances.

Verdict expected Wednesday December 11.