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Two French Teens Held on Premeditated Murder Allegations in Grandparents' Stabbings

Prosecutors are treating the case as assassinat under France's juvenile system.

Overview

  • The 16-year-old granddaughter and her 15-year-old boyfriend confessed, were placed under formal investigation for assassinat, and are being held in pretrial detention in the Villers-Semeuse case.
  • Prosecutors say the killings were planned at least 15 days in advance because the grandparents opposed the relationship, and the girl told police her grandmother had slapped her during disputes.
  • Autopsies found multiple stab wounds on both victims and a fatal chest wound on the grandfather, and police recovered a cleaned 21-centimeter blade that the medical examiner said could match the weapon.
  • Investigators report the pair took between €3,000 and €4,000 in cash from the home and used it to buy high-end smartphones, a sequence backed by CCTV and transaction checks.
  • The girl had been living with the victims under a child-protection order and the boy had a prior weapons case pending in juvenile court, and both now face up to 20 years in prison with a possible 30-year maximum for the girl if the usual minor reduction is not applied.