A court in France has sentenced an Ivorian migrant to 25 years in prison for fatally stabbing a 22-year-old man during Bastille Day celebrations amid a drunken brawl.
The Moselle Assize Court on Friday sentenced Mohamed Sylla, 21, for the killing of Samir Hamraoui in Metz in the early hours of July 15, 2022. Judges also imposed a ban on Sylla returning to French territory after serving his sentence.
The penalty exceeded the 22-year term requested earlier by prosecutor David Touvet, who had also called for Sylla to be permanently barred from France. The defendant had arrived in the country from Ivory Coast in 2018 as an unaccompanied minor.
As reported by Sud Ouest, the killing occurred during Bastille Day festivities in Metz, where Hamraoui and several friends had traveled to spend the evening in the city. At around 1:30 a.m., the group was confronted by Sylla and another man, Fisnik Lahu. The two groups did not know each other prior to the incident.
During the altercation, Hamraoui was stabbed in the chest. The wound pierced his heart, killing him.
Following the attack, Sylla fled France with two others and was only arrested about a month later after traveling toward Spain.
When given the final opportunity to speak, Sylla addressed the victim’s relatives. “I am truly sorry. I didn’t mean to do this,” he told the court.
Prosecutor Touvet described the killing as senseless violence when outlining the case to the jury. “It’s unreal, irrational, it makes no sense,” he said while requesting a lengthy prison sentence.
The court also convicted Lahu for armed assault against another victim during the same incident. He received a three-year sentence with one year suspended, and his former partner, a third defendant, was also convicted for assisting the men in fleeing to Spain the day after the stabbing. She received a two-year prison sentence, most of which was suspended.
During the trial, Sylla’s lawyer argued the fatal encounter should not be treated as murder, describing it instead as a chaotic fight involving several intoxicated individuals.
Lawyers representing Hamraoui’s family rejected that interpretation. Their counsel, Paul Herhard, told the court the killing could not be dismissed as a tragic accident. “It’s murder, not an unfortunate stabbing,” he said.
The courtroom was filled with friends and relatives during the five-day trial, with Hamraoui’s parents and sister visibly emotional as the proceedings concluded. They described the victim as a young man known for helping others.
The trial also heard that violent incidents had continued during Sylla’s time in detention, though those episodes had not resulted in additional criminal prosecutions.
A psychiatric evaluation presented during the case warned that the risk of reoffending remained “significant,” according to the prosecution.
