Metz prosecutor opens homophobic murder inquiry into death of Noahm, 19, as parents denounce political exploitation

The attack and its aftermath

Noahm, 19, was assaulted in Metz city centre in the early hours of 30 May and died on 2 June. Two men, aged 20 and 27, were charged with murder aggravated by manifest intoxication and placed in pre‑trial detention. On 11 June the prosecutor added a count of voluntary homicide motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity while intoxicated.

This supplementary referral ensures the investigating judge has the legal framework for the investigation to cover as broadly as possible all circumstances of the case.

The homophobic motive claims

From the start friends and LGBTQ+ associations insisted the attack was homophobic. A friend told Mediapart the assailants “targeted Noahm directly. Because, you know, Noahm wears makeup, Noahm is effeminate.” STOP Homophobie said the victim was subjected to homophobic slurs. Initial police findings, however, did not confirm a homophobic motive.

Parents reject politicisation

Noahm’s parents, speaking via lawyer Sophie Friha, said they were devastated and “fed up with all this political recuperation”. “We do not want Noahm to be instrumentalised by a political party,” Friha stated. They want societal awareness and more education for young people on violence.

We do not want Noahm to be instrumentalized by a political party.

Political and institutional responses

Jean‑Luc Mélenchon labelled the killing an “homophobic assault” on X. SOS Homophobie demanded a minute of silence. The National Assembly observed one on Tuesday for Noahm, Lyhanna (11, killed in Gers) and a gendarme.

A timeline of the case

Youth violence under the spotlight

Sophie Friha said “what is no longer tolerable is that not a year goes by without a child dying for nothing, for a look, in the centre of Metz”. The family calls for a “societal awakening” rather than party‑political point‑scoring.