Loïk Le Priol denies murder intent in trial for 2022 killing of Federico Martín Aramburú

Defense testimony in Paris assize court

During the third week of proceedings before the Paris assize court, 32-year-old former soldier Loïk Le Priol testified regarding the fatal shooting of former Argentine rugby international Federico Martín Aramburú. Le Priol, who faces life imprisonment on assassination charges, denied any premeditation or intention to kill. Questioned by Yann Le Bras, the lawyer for the victim's widow Maria Codino Aramburú, the defendant agreed with her description of him at the time as an unpinned grenade. In the courtroom, several former Biarritz teammates of Aramburú, including Dimitri Yachvili and Damien Traille, attended the session as the defendant described the night of 19 March 2022 as an absolute tragedy resulting from an uncontrolled escalation.

I was armed, intoxicated. There is a succession of serious offenses on my part that caused the drama, you remove one element, and everything collapses and we are not here today.

Account of the altercation and military reflex

Le Priol recounted the initial dispute at the terrace of Le Mabillon bar in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, explaining that an altercation began after an exchange of insults. The defendant admitted to tapping the cheek of Aramburú's friend Shaun Hegarty in what he termed an outrageous gesture, before Aramburú pulled his hood and knocked him down. He stated that his wounded ego propelled him into a fight in front of his girlfriend, Lyson Rochemir. After the bar clash, co-defendant Romain Bouvier fired first on Boulevard Saint-Germain, followed by Le Priol firing four bullets. Le Priol asserted to the court that he acted out of a military reflex rather than a calculated attempt to murder the athlete.

You do not fight with someone you want to assassinate. I take out my weapon at the worst moment.

Weapon habits and psychological state

The defendant outlined his daily dependence on firearms, alcohol consumption, and psychological difficulties following his discharge from the French special forces five years prior to the shooting. Le Priol stated that he regularly slept with a firearm beside him, frequented a private shooting range in Saint-Astier in the Dordogne, and carried weapons in public spaces. He acknowledged that his toxic concept of masculinity and fear of backing down made him a danger to the public at the time. A psychiatric evaluation delivered on 17 September by Isabelle Teillet pointed to a risk of reoffending, which court magistrates raised during his questioning.

Ideology and cross-examination

During cross-examination, prosecutors and civil parties challenged Le Priol's claims of fear, self-defense, and genuine remorse. Véronique Massi, the attorney representing Shaun Hegarty, questioned his sincerity by presenting evidence found on his devices, including digital passwords referencing the Nazi regime and a text message containing a racial slur sent six days prior to the incident. Le Priol, a former member of the far-right student group Groupe Union Défense, claimed the text was a typographical error and argued his past extremist involvement was behind him. Addressing the victims' relatives, he stated that he lives with the weight of taking a father and husband away from his family.

It is not nothing to take away a father from his children, a husband from his wife, and a son from his parents. In detention, I live alone with this responsibility, with my demons.