A 15-year-old French teenager is standing trial before a juvenile court for the brutal killing of his parents, setting their home on fire, and fatally shooting the family dog in December 2023. The case, which has shocked France, is being heard in a closed juvenile court due to the suspect’s age.
The boy, whose identity has not been disclosed due to legal protections for minors, was arrested on December 2, 2023, five days after the gruesome crime took place. His chilling confession, recorded in police documents, details the night he carried out the double murder at the family home in Château-Thierry, a town in northeastern France.
“I Spent the Night Thinking”
According to police reports, the teenager had been contemplating the killings for several days. “The idea came to me on Wednesday. I made a first attempt, but I couldn’t do it,” he told investigators. His confession describes a night of mental turmoil, pacing the stairs outside his parents’ bedroom before finally acting in the early hours of November 27.
Wearing a balaclava, he took his father’s hunting rifle and crept up the stairs, hesitating for more than 45 minutes before his mother suddenly opened the bedroom door. “Since she had seen me and I had no way of turning back, I fired,” he admitted. His father, awakened by the gunfire, was then shot three times in the head.
Overcome with emotion during his confession, the teenager reportedly broke down in tears as he described what happened next.
Arson and an Attempt to Cover Up the Crime
After the killings, the teenager packed a bag and retrieved a can of gasoline. He shot the family dog, which had been barking, before setting multiple fires in the house—first in his mother’s workshop, then in his bedroom, and finally over his parents’ bodies. The fire engulfed the entire home, destroying all evidence except for the remains of the victims.
The suspect fled the scene and was captured five days later. Police took him into custody and formally charged him with double homicide, animal cruelty, and arson.
Trial and Public Reaction
The trial, which began this week, is being conducted behind closed doors in accordance with French juvenile justice laws. If convicted, the teenager faces up to 20 years in prison.
Legal experts and psychologists are closely analyzing the case, trying to understand the boy’s motives and mental state at the time of the crime. The prosecution argues that the attack was premeditated, given his multiple attempts before carrying out the murders. Meanwhile, the defense is expected to focus on psychological factors that may have influenced his actions.
The case has sparked national debate in France about juvenile crime, mental health, and access to firearms. Many are questioning how a teenager was able to access a deadly weapon and carry out such an extreme act of violence against his own family.
As the trial continues, the court will determine whether the boy should be tried as a minor or if exceptional circumstances warrant a harsher sentence. The ruling is expected in the coming weeks.
