The Assize Court of Hérault sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison a man guilty of having tried to kill a bar owner, after having tried to extort money from him. The accused, who explained throughout the trial that the shot was accidental, did not convince the jurors.
The facts occurred on October 26, 2019 in Lunel-Viel, a town located in the Hérault between Montpellier and Nîmes. That day, David Arnaud had waited for the owner of the bar he frequented to rob him when he parked his car. The latter had also recognized him despite his balaclava. As the victim attempted to flee by car, the accused fired. For a few centimeters, the bullet hadn’t hit the bar owner, finally lodged in the door.
The prosecutor had requested a sentence of eighteen years
The jury was slightly below the requisitions of the public prosecutor who had asked for an 18-year prison sentence. In addition to his imprisonment, the popular jury condemned him to 15 years of prohibition of possession of weapon, five years of prohibition of stay in Lunel-Viel and seven years of judicial social follow-up. His sentence would be increased by three additional years if he does not comply with this monitoring. He has ten days to appeal this decision.