Paris court sentences Lakhdar Matoug to 27 years for murdering and dismembering his wife Assia

Verdict and sentence

Lakhdar Matoug, 53, was sentenced to 27 years in prison by the Paris Assize Court on Friday 10 July 2026 for the murder of his wife Assia. The penalty followed the prosecution's demand, with the presiding judge declaring: "You compounded your crime with a sacrilege." The five-day trial had opened on Monday, 6 July.

The murder

On 30 January 2023, Matoug strangled his spouse during an argument in their Montreuil apartment. Forensic experts determined the strangulation lasted several minutes, ruling out his claim of a few seconds. The next day, 31 January, he purchased an angle grinder and dismembered her body. He told their three children that their mother was ill and should not be disturbed.

Cover-up and discovery

Matoug wrapped parts of the corpse in plastic bags and scattered them among green waste across the Buttes-Chaumont park in north-east Paris. The torso was later dumped in a vacant lot in Bobigny. He reported his wife missing and sent messages to her phone, which he still possessed. Fifteen days after the killing, he confessed during his third police custody interrogation and led investigators to the sites.

Trial arguments

Prosecutor Sylvie Kachaner argued that prolonged compression of the neck proved homicidal intent, not an accidental death. She noted the victim had told him "Aïe, aïe, you're hurting me" yet he persisted.

She said: Ouch, ouch, you're hurting me. And nonetheless, he kept squeezing.

Defense lawyers Dominique Beyreuther and Gérard Tcholakian insisted Matoug had not intended to kill, invoking expert reports of "derealization" or "psychic dissociation".

The fatal gesture, did he wish for it, did he want it? No, it was a mechanical asphyxia.

The victim's lawyer, Marie Monsef, asked: "Why did Assia die? For raising her voice? She died for nothing at all."

Background of the couple

The couple, originally from Algeria, had lived for years in a three-bedroom social housing flat in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, burdened by debts and estrangement. The victim had requested a divorce. The prosecutor described them as "living in the same apartment but no longer speaking, communicating only by messages", comparing them to Simone Signoret and Jean Gabin in the film Le Chat. No prior physical violence was reported, but the prosecution highlighted psychological abuse through prolonged silence.

Timeline of the case

The sequence of events spanned from the murder on 30 January 2023 to the verdict on 10 July 2026. Key moments include the purchase of the angle grinder, the scattering of remains, the missing-person report, and the eventual confession. The trial lasted five days.