Drug DealerS Murder: Two Sentenced, Five Acquitted in Paris Suburb Killing
Two men have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms, while five others were acquitted, in connection with the brutal 2021 murder of a drug dealer in Saint-Ouen, a suburb of Paris. The case, marred by a wall of silence, saw the victim lynched with a baseball bat and knife.
Verdicts Delivered in 2021 Saint-Ouen Homicide Case
Chakibe Abzar received a 17-year sentence, and Karim Lmghari was sentenced to 19 years. Both admitted to participating in the attack on Kevin G., 26, who was bludgeoned with a barbed-wire-wrapped baseball bat and stabbed 35 times on january 3, 2021. The attack was captured on city surveillance cameras.
acquittals due to Lack of Evidence Undermine Prosecution
The five other defendants, including Hichem Abzar, brother of chakibe, walked free. The prosecution had sought convictions ranging from 10 to 27 years for all seven, arguing they acted as a pack. The acquittals represent a setback for the prosecution, which argued the killing was a targeted “punitive expedition” by low-level drug traffickers.
Uncertainty Surrounds Motive in Drug-Related Killing
Prosecutors alleged Kevin G.sought to reclaim a sales point with the help of El Mehdi Zouhairi, a major drug trafficker from a rival gang. Zouhairi,currently a fugitive in Morocco and previously sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison on unrelated charges,was suspected of ordering the 2019 assassination of another drug kingpin,Mohamed Gacem. However, the presiding judge, Marc sommerer, stated that the definitive motive for the attack remained unclear. The defense argued the killing stemmed from a brawl unrelated to drug trafficking.
Trial Clouded by Silence and Fear
The trial, which began on February 25, was hampered by missing witnesses and reluctant testimony, creating an atmosphere of omerta. Several witnesses were fined for failing to appear. “We are not in Palermo or Naples, this is not the mafia, but we have witnesses who do not come or who say nothing as they are so afraid,” the presiding judge lamented during the proceedings.
Here are two PAA related questions for the given title:
Drug Dealer Murder: Two Sentenced, Five Acquitted in Paris Suburb Killing – Q&A
This Q&A provides additional context to the tragic events in Saint-Ouen. The outcome of this case underscores the complex realities of drug-related crime and the challenges faced by law enforcement in ensuring justice.
