The shock of the tragedy was followed almost instantly by hasty interpretations and political recuperations, despite calls for caution from the Valencia prosecutor, Laurent de Caigny. More than two weeks after the death of Thomas P., 16, killed by a stab during a village festival in Crépol (Drôme), the picture sketched by the investigators takes on a much more nuanced tone than the first impressions widely relayed, notably by the far right. The Parisian And France Info had access to several elements of the investigation by the gendarmes of the Grenoble research section, which support the thesis of a violent fortuitous fight at the end of the evening rather than that of a planned and premeditated attack. Nine young men, all born in the neighboring town of Romans-sur-Isère except one, were indicted for “organized gang murder”, “attempted murder” or “voluntary violence committed in a meeting” in this case. Six of them were imprisoned. Release takes stock of new elements.
Young people from Romans present for several hours
The nine suspects did not arrive together in Crépol. They went to the village on the evening of November 18 in small groups, in five cars and at different times. In their statements to the police, they said they wanted to go to the ball in particular because they thought they would find many girls there. At least four of the suspects were able to enter the party hall and took part in the evening before the fatal fight occurred. They danced, according to several witnesses, around fifty of whom said they did not notice any particularly suspicious behavior. Others say, on the contrary, that they felt a certain discomfort, describing young men “with evil looks”. The young people from Romans appear in any case out of step, particularly in clothing, with the rest of the audience. “The young people from Romans and Crépol rub shoulders at high school, they know each other by sight but they are not from the same world”summarizes a source at Parisian.
Several young people came armed
Among the suspects participating in the party and among those remaining outside the room, spending the evening in the parking lot, several were carrying bladed weapons. It thus appears that Chaïd A., 20 years old, had to give a hunting knife to one of the four security guards securing the evening before being authorized to enter the room. Other suspects who arrived later reportedly asked some partygoers who had gone out to smoke if “we were searched” before entering the evening. To be able to hide a weapon or alcohol? Regardless, when the fight broke out, several knives came out, according to numerous witnesses. The exact number is unknown.
The trigger in question
Investigators are also looking into the spark that turned the evening into drama. An altercation between one of the suspects, Ilyès Z., 22, and a young rugby player from Crépol, Thomas L., caught their attention. As the title plays Chikita by rapper Jul, around 2 a.m., Thomas L. would have compared Ilyès Z.’s long curly hair to that of the girl mentioned in the Marseille rapper’s song. Ilyès Z. then suggested that Thomas L. explain himself outside the room, the trigger for the violence. But before this fight, the rugby player was heard saying by at least one friend that he wanted to hit “bougnoules”report France Info and The Parisian. During the confrontation that followed, nine witnesses out of the 104 interviewed said they had heard words “hostile to white people” from the young people of Romans-sur-Isère, the Valence prosecutor had already explained. Which also specified that the investigation did not allow at this stage to affirm that the victims could have been targeted because of their membership in a “alleged race, ethnicity, nation or religion”.
A two-part fight
The actual brawl occurred in two stages, according to consistent testimonies. Firstly there is “the explanation» between Ilyès Z. and Thomas L., which finally takes place from the entrance to the ballroom. Ilyès Z. told investigators that he was punched and kicked by Thomas L. and some rugby players who arrived as reinforcements, who claimed to have defended themselves. The exchange is unbalanced and in short, Ilyès Z. says he ended up on all fours, stunned. Then comes the second act, more violent and which pits around thirty young people against each other, with schematically on one side those from Romans, who would have been around fifteen, on the other the rugby players. A security guard tried to intervene, but was injured in the hand by a bladed weapon. “A lot of stupid things have been said. When I was injured, I wasn’t turning away young people from Romans at the entrance, I was just trying to calm things down…”entrusts this man to Parisian.
Murder suspect still not identified
It was during this brawl that Thomas P., himself a rugby player, received a fatal stab wound to the chest. The investigation has still not made it possible to clearly identify its author. Two suspects appear to emerge according to investigators: Ilyès Z. and a second, aged 17, whose identity has not been revealed due to his minority. But while the first names of the suspects have been widely commented on by the far right, The Parisian reports that this young suspect has a first and last name “historically French”. France Info confirms, noting that this is also the case for his little brother, who has been on the run since the events. Ilyès Z. and this 17-year-old suspect have one thing in common: they are tall, dark-haired and have long, curly hair.