French judges send 11 to trial with racial aggravating charge in Crépol murder case

The indictment and racial aggravating circumstance

Investigating magistrates in France issued a final indictment order on 25 September 2026 sending 11 defendants to the juvenile assize court for the November 2023 killing of 16-year-old Thomas Perotto. The order accuses the group of murder, attempted murder of three other individuals, and violent assaults during a winter ball in the village of Crépol, located in the Drôme department. Because investigators were unable to identify which individual delivered the fatal stab wound to Perotto, the magistrates applied the legal concept of a collective single scene to send all 11 defendants to trial together. The judges also retained an aggravating circumstance of racial hostility, citing acts and speech targeting the white race and the French nation. Nineteen direct witnesses reported hearing anti-white insults during the violence outside the village hall, including statements indicating intent to stab white people. Perotto, a local rugby player, died during emergency transport to the hospital following the confrontation.

Procedural conflict over the charges

The inclusion of the racial aggravating circumstance followed months of disagreement between investigating magistrates and the public prosecutor's office in Valence. In June 2026, the Valence prosecutor filed final submissions requesting trial for murder and attempted murder while excluding racial motivation, stating that witness statements alleging racist remarks were imprecise, contradictory, and represented a minority of accounts. Independent investigating magistrates departed from that assessment in July 2026 by issuing a completion notice that incorporated the racial aggravation against the white race and the French nation. Valence prosecutors formally contested that decision in August 2026, repeating their view that the evidentiary threshold for racial motivation had not been reached. The investigating judges overrode the prosecutor's objections on 25 September 2026 by confirming the racial classification in their final referral order.

Defense reactions and pending appeals

Lawyers representing the defendants expressed opposition to the collective murder charges and the inclusion of the racial aggravating factor. Defense attorneys Seydi Ba and Diala Al-Shaman challenged the legal grounding of the referral order regarding their client.

“How can our client be sent to trial for murder aggravated by a racial circumstance when neither the fatal blow nor any racist remarks are personally attributed to him?”

Lawyer Elise Rey-Jacquot, who represents another defendant, stated on 26 September 2026 that she would appeal the indictment order, a step that could postpone the start of the assize court proceedings. Representatives for civil parties supported the judicial decision to retain the racial component. Lawyer Denis Dreyfus, acting on behalf of several party attendees seeking damages, endorsed the findings of the investigating magistrates.

“We welcome the considerable work carried out by the investigating judges.”

Aftermath and legal proceedings

Some of the 11 accused were minors when the Crépol village hall attack occurred in November 2023, while several individuals in the group originated from the La Monnaie neighbourhood in Romans-sur-Isère. The fatal stabbing led to political tension in the region, including an attempted punitive expedition by far-right identitarian militants in Romans-sur-Isère following the death. All 11 defendants maintain the presumption of innocence under French law. If convicted under the aggravated charges before the juvenile assize court, the defendants face terms up to life imprisonment. A trial date has not yet been scheduled pending the outcome of defense appeals against the referral order.