What really happened on the evening of November 18 in Crépol when young Thomas was fatally stabbed? THE Parisianwho was able to consult the investigation report carried out by the gendarmes of the Grenoble research section, revealed this Tuesday that the facts are much more complex than they appear. For the moment, there is nothing to support the theory of a punitive expedition as being at the origin of the tragedy.
According to the daily, the nine suspects arrested to date arrived at the ball between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. in five cars. And in small groups. Four of them would also have participated in the evening, without being refused entry. While some witnesses say they did not notice anything particular in their attitude, others noted that they remained in the background, without mingling too much with the other participants.
A Jul song as a trigger?
These four boys would have spent two hours inside the village hall in which the ball was held, while the others, who had come to join them, would have stayed in the parking lot where they drank alcohol. Around two in the morning, things got out of hand. From the moment the DJ plays a song by Jul.
Before the investigators, one of the four boys explained that he had been the subject of mockery. A young rugby player, he said, would have come to pull his hair while comparing him to the young girl mentioned in the piece. He retaliates, gets angry and insults the athlete who would have invited him to explain himself outside, failing to apologize, he says. “This altercation could be the origin of the brawl,” investigators note in their report.
What happened next? Who struck first? Versions differ from one camp to another. The only certainty: “reinforcements” have arrived on both sides. Around thirty people, including several young people from Romans armed with knives, found themselves involved in the fight. A particularly violent brawl. A security guard tries to intervene to separate the belligerents but is threatened by one of the kids. While trying to protect himself, he will be hit in the hand. “When I was injured, I wasn’t turning away young people from Romans at the entrance, I was just trying to calm things down,” he corrects the Parisian.
As for Thomas, he will receive a fatal blow close to the heart. To date, the author has not been formally identified, according to the daily. Contacted by 20 minutesthe Valence public prosecutor’s office (Drôme) has not yet responded to our request.