Amiens: Life imprisonment for a man found guilty of murdering his partner, his son, and his sister-in-law

The Somme Assize Court on Thursday sentenced a 52-year-old man to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years for the murder of his partner, their 3-year-old son, and his sister-in-law in April 2022 in Amiens. The defendant was also found guilty of raping the two young women and of kidnapping his sister-in-law.

This maximum sentence is in line with the prosecution's request. During the trial, the defendant admitted to the three homicides but contested some of the charges against him. Before the verdict, he apologized to the victims' families, acknowledging acts he himself described as "unforgivable."

Three victims in just a few days

According to the investigation, the man in his fifties first killed his partner following an argument. The next day, he suffocated their 3-year-old son after preparing his breakfast. He then lured his partner's sister into the apartment where the two bodies were already found. The young woman was held captive for two days before being raped and then murdered. During the trial, the prosecutor denounced the extreme violence and the criminal sequence that unfolded over several days. The civil parties emphasized the extent of the trauma suffered by the victims' families.

A family is angry after the verdict

Upon hearing the verdict, several family members expressed their anger, believing that even the harshest sentence allowed by law could not compensate for the loss of their loved ones. Emotions remained high after the hearing. The accused had attempted suicide after the incident by ingesting a large dose of insulin and then deliberately causing a car accident. Hospitalized in critical condition, he was only able to be questioned by investigators several days later. The sentence handed down on Thursday brings to a legal close one of the most significant criminal cases in the Somme region in recent years.