Murder of Elias in Paris: Two Adolescents Charged and Placed in Pretrial Detention

The Tragic Incident
On January 24, Elias, a 14-year-old boy, was fatally attacked near the Jules-Noël stadium in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, after a football practice. When he refused to hand over his mobile phone to two young men, aged 16 and 17, Elias was stabbed in the shoulder. He was given first aid by a friend, who helped identify the attackers. Despite several attempts at resuscitation, Elias succumbed to his injuries the following day at Necker Hospital.

Swift Arrest and Charges
The two suspects were quickly apprehended after the attack on Friday evening and placed in police custody. On January 27, they were charged with “extortion with violence resulting in death” and “voluntary violence against a minor under 15 without incapacity.” They were placed in pretrial detention after being brought before a judge. One of the suspects has confessed to his involvement in the attack.

A Troubling Criminal Record
The two minors are already known to the police. One of them had been placed under educational supervision for theft and extortion in December 2023. They had also been presented to the justice system for violent thefts, with a trial scheduled for June. Despite being forbidden to contact each other, they lived only a few meters apart and were together at the time of the attack.

Reactions and Grief in the Neighborhood
Elias’s death has deeply shocked the local community and prompted reactions from authorities. The mayor of the 14th arrondissement, Carine Petit, expressed her shock and commitment to finding solutions to this senseless violence. The sports club where Elias was a member, PO-Jeunesse Sportive et Culturelle Pitray-Olier, also shared its “immense pain.” A psychological support service has been set up at Montaigne College, where Elias attended school, to help his classmates cope with this tragedy.