Overview
- The Mons assizes court opened proceedings Monday in a relocated courtroom at Mons Expo, beginning with the reading of the indictment and initial questioning.
- Paolo Falzone is charged with seven murders and 81 attempted murders and faces up to 30 years in prison, while passenger Antonino Falzone is tried for failing to assist victims and risks up to two years.
- Investigators report the BMW reached about 174 km/h in a 50 km/h zone before the impact and toxicology tests found no alcohol or drugs.
- Police say phone videos show the driver filming his speed and the moment of impact for a social media story, and jurors will examine why he continued for more than a kilometer before stopping.
- Nearly 200 civil parties and over 250 witnesses are expected in a six-to-eight-week trial that underscores the heavy toll on Strépy-Bracquegnies families, including relatives who lost multiple loved ones.