Young man killed in Dax: suspect charged with murder, suspect's sister and father arrested in Mont-de-Marsan

The investigation continues after the indictment and detention of the alleged perpetrator of the stabbing that led to the death of Benoît, 17, on May 31 in Dax.

The investigation into the murder of Benoît, a 17-year-old young man from Dax, who was stabbed to death on Saturday 31 May in the spa town, has gained momentum since the alleged perpetrator, a 16-year-old minor, surrendered to the Bordeaux police station on the evening of Saturday 7 June .

Following the suspect's transfer to the Mont-de-Marsan judicial city on Sunday morning, June 8, prosecutor Alexa Dubourg confirmed that he had been "presented today to the investigating magistrate of the Mont-de-Marsan judicial court, and after remaining silent during his initial appearance, had been charged with murder and placed in pre-trial detention, in accordance with the prosecution's requests."

The 16-year-old accused, born in Le Puy-en-Velay (Haute-Loire), who benefits from the presumption of innocence at this stage of the proceedings, is "unfavorably known to the police and the courts, particularly for carrying a category D weapon," the Mont-de-Marsan prosecutor added. A French national, he is believed to reside in the commune of Soustons, where he has family.

In addition to the indictment and pre-trial detention of the alleged perpetrator of the events that occurred after his presentation to the investigating magistrate in Mont-de-Marsan, investigators are also interested in any support the suspect may have received. In particular, they are reportedly seeking to find out how he reached Bordeaux after leaving Dax, and where he was hiding for a week.

According to our information, the police may be investigating how the young man managed to escape amidst the crowd gathered in and around Place de la Fontaine-Chaude, on the sidelines of PSG's Champions League victory. The city's CCTV footage shows, among other things, that a scooter was used. The Dax prosecutor's office confirmed in a statement the day after the incident that the main suspect had been identified, along with several potential accomplices, who are being sought by the investigation services.

"What he did is wrong," his father said. "But it's hard for us too, it's hard for both families."

Without knowing if this is linked to these questions, the suspect's sister and his father, who lives in Le Mans (Sarthe), were arrested by the police this Sunday late morning while they were waiting outside the Mont-de-Marsan judicial city in the hope of being able to speak to the accused or at least to his lawyer, ^Ms. Pauline Eberhard.

Met a little earlier in the morning in front of the Mons judicial city before the suspect's arrest, the latter's sister, a 20-year-old woman, assured "Sud Ouest" that she had not heard from her brother since the events were committed.

She added that she had been informed the previous evening by the authorities that he had gone to the police station in Bordeaux, a city where, according to her, he knew no one. "I don't have the strength to speak until I know exactly what my brother did," the young woman said, tears welling in her eyes. "What he did was wrong," her father said. "But it's hard for us too, it's hard for both families."

While awaiting the findings of Benoît's autopsy, which should be released Tuesday or Wednesday, the Bayonne judicial police are continuing their investigations. In all likelihood, new investigative actions could be initiated to shed light on the case. The questions, which remain numerous, concern, for example, the provision of resources and the fugitive's accommodation in a Bordeaux apartment. These are matters on which the prosecutor's office is remaining silent, likely to avoid interfering with the investigation. The prosecutor's office has not confirmed that the relatives arrested this Sunday have been taken into custody.

In France, a 16-year-old minor tried for murder faces twenty years of imprisonment under the excuse of minority. The sentence is in fact half that of an adult, capped at twenty years if the sentence is life imprisonment – ​​as provided for an adult in the case of murder. However, since the 2007 law and according to Article L121-7 of the Code of Criminal Justice for Minors, for 16- to 18-year-olds, the juvenile assize court may decide, exceptionally, to lift the excuse of minority if the circumstances and the personality of the minor justify it. The maximum sentence is then thirty years of imprisonment.

It is also because of the suspect's minority that "Sud Ouest" is not disclosing his identity.