Overview

• The children’s court in Châteauroux convicted a 16-year-old Afghan minor of stabbing 15-year-old Matisse during a rap battle and sentenced him to eight years in prison.
• Judges also ordered 15 years of socio-judicial supervision after finding his mental discernment was impaired at the time of the killing.
• Political figures seized on the defendant’s Afghan nationality to demand tougher migration controls and spotlight integration challenges.
• Prosecutors highlighted the defendant’s prior knife-point robbery attempt the weekend before the murder as evidence of escalating youth violence.
• Matisse’s April 2024 death prompted an estimated 8,000 residents to march in Châteauroux in his memory days after the killing.