A 54-year-old man was sentenced on Friday, October 11, by the Seine-Saint-Denis criminal court to twenty-eight years in prison for having killed his wife, under the protection of justice, by stabbing her 16 times in the apartment down. from his home in Épinay-sur-Seine.
After more than four hours of deliberation, the court found Khalid Fahem guilty of the murder of Bouchra Bouali, in November 2021, nine days after his release from prison, where he was serving a sentence for domestic violence. The court took into account “the intention to kill her”what the accused had expressed, and “extreme violence” of the act, committed with his two children “not too far away”.
At that time, this former nightclub physiognomist had just enjoyed a three-week early release. However, justice forgot to warn the victim, who benefited from protection protocols.
The judicial community shaken
Living in extreme fear to the point of equipping herself with a Taser and a tear gas canister, this 44-year-old woman “breathed” as long as she believed her husband was still behind bars. “The death of Bouchra Bouali shocked the entire legal community, in particular the magistrates of the Bobigny prosecutor’s office, and above all those who knew her because they protected her”admitted the attorney general, Marina Kieny, in her indictment.
The prosecution recognizes the error of not having notified this director of a ready-to-wear company of her spouse’s departure, something that a decree made mandatory in France after this notorious crime. Would it have been enough to avoid this tragedy in the face of the murderous determination of a man fascinated by knives?
“The only thing that matters to him in life is money, his image and killing my mother. These are the three interests of his life”He described his 17-year-old eldest daughter, who was speaking on the phone with her mother at the time of the murder, in testimony as relentless as it was moving.
Khalid Fahem could not bear the release of his wife. He, who could not read or write, had seen her acquire the marital home alone in 2014, then that of a ready-to-wear store, in 2018, where he was just a simple employee. However, in this spring of 2021 they announce their breakup. It’s the seesaw. “He didn’t kill for love. He killed because for him it is the day the last domino falls. (…)“This day in which his image, that of the father, that of the worker, will definitively be shattered.”analyzed his lawyer, Agathe Grenouillet, in her argument. He threatens to kill his wife and tells her he will do it. “cut his neck” with a knife. Bouchra files a complaint that leads to Khalid Fahem’s first imprisonment.
Equipped to defend yourself
Concerned about the profile of the accused, with no criminal record, the Bobigny prosecutor’s office and a specialized association provided Bouchra with a seriously dangerous telephone number, which allows the police to be quickly alerted. Despite this, Bouchra lives on the lookout. On the street, she keeps walking around. He installs a video surveillance camera in his house, changes the lock and equips himself to defend himself. “He even bought a bulletproof vest. I was shocked with my sisters. but she said “He’s a coward, he could stab me in the back.” »said his older sister, Rahma Bouali, sobbing on the stand.
In his cell, Khalid Fahem reflects. “He planned to kill his wife. I had no other plans. Kill her and go back to prison.”reported one of his former prison companions in Fleury-Mérogis, heard by videoconference. It premieres on November 17, 2021. On the afternoon of November 26, protected from the cold and rain in a rental car, the fifty-something woman was waiting for Bouchra Bouali at the foot of the tower where she lived. During these two hours of waiting, he watches his two daughters, ages 5 and 14, return from school, sharpens the kitchen knife he just bought at the supermarket, nibbles on candy. The blows will be so violent that the knife blade will be deformed. “I didn’t do it on purpose (…) the shots came out like that”Khalid Fahem evaded in the box, unable to explain his gesture.
On average, a feminicide occurs every three days in France. According to the Ministry of Justice, there were 94 in 2023, compared to 118 in 2022.
