Baseball bat murder near Nîmes: 12 years requested against the son, three years against his mother

Clément Collavoli, 30, is accused before the Gard Assize Court of having killed Francis Gouze, his mother's partner, with a baseball bat on November 17, 2017 in Rodilhan, because he was allegedly violent with her. Françoise Bourdanove, the latter, is being prosecuted for failure to assist a person in danger.

On Friday, January 31, at the Gard Assize Court, Attorney General Bertrand Baboulenne requested a sentence of 12 years in prison and five years of socio-judicial monitoring against Clément Collavoli, 30, accused of the murder of Francis Gouze, 51, on November 17, 2017 in Rodilhan, near Nîmes, and three years for failure to assist a person in danger against his mother, Françoise Bourdanove, 52.

The young man, who appeared free, claims to have smashed the deceased's head with a baseball bat while the latter had once again been violent with his mother, which the investigation was unable to establish.

The crime scene is a horror

“ECan filial love justify everything? Can a son arrogate to himself the right of life and death over a companion?” asked the magistrate. “Ihe tells us he didn't intend to kill him ? But it's a joke!” he continued, recalling the objective elements of the case. “The crime scene is a scene of horror, a sleeping man with his head crushed by the blows. The projection marks are more than two meters on the walls. It's a scene of elimination, nothing more, nothing less.”

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“What I know is that he smashed his skull in and saw what he was doing. The criminal intent is there. We are in a scene of ultraviolence by someone who no longer has control over himself and who wanted to destroy.”

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Concerning Françoise Bourdanove, the attorney general considered the facts established. “She knew that her partner was in danger and she did not draw the consequences.”

“In this case we are very far from the stereotype of the prodigal son who comes to defend his mother in a register of self-defense.”

A cowardly act, while he was sleeping

“Francis Gouze deserves something other than the image that we have tried to shape throughout this hearing, for the needs of a defense at all costs” recalled Me Rémy Nougier, civil party for the victim's family. “It would have been so much easier if he had been a scumbag. What could be more cowardly in this act, when we know that he was smashed while he was sleeping. To scare him ? Who are we kidding!”

“I'm not going to tell you that Francis was an angel, he was both an angel and a demon. But the life that Clément Collavoli leads today, is the one he stole from Francis Gouze” insisted in turn Me Ludivine Glories, civil party. The floor is now given to the defense lawyers, Me Marie-Gaëlle Bruyère for Françoise Bourdanove and Me Hugo Ferri for Clément Collavoli. The verdict is expected at the end of the day.

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