Nice: 13-Year-Old Boy Detained After Mother Killed in Hammer Attack

A woman was killed with hammer blows in her apartment in Nice on the evening of Friday, March 13, 2026, and her 13-year-old son was placed in police custody the following day after investigators identified inconsistencies in his account. The incident took place in an apartment on Boulevard Louis-Braille in the Roquebillière district of eastern Nice. The boy initially called police around 8:00 PM, claiming his mother had been attacked by a masked individual who then fled the scene. Officers had to break down the apartment door to reach the victim, who was pronounced dead by emergency services around 9:00 PM. The victim died from severe head injuries caused by hammer blows, including a skull fracture near the eye. The Nice public prosecutor's office opened an investigation for aggravated homicide, entrusted to the Nice judicial police.

The 13-year-old son was initially taken to Lenval Hospital following the incident. On Saturday, March 14, investigators placed him in police custody after noting inconsistencies in his statements about the alleged masked intruder. Authorities confirmed the boy was physically unharmed. The investigation for aggravated homicide remains ongoing, with the Nice judicial police leading the inquiry. No formal charges had been announced as of Saturday afternoon.

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi reacted publicly to the killing on social media. „crime abominable” (abominable crime) — Christian Estrosi via BFMTV Estrosi described the event as an abominable crime and expressed his anger, horror, and immense sadness. He also confirmed that the boy was physically unharmed. The mayor's statement drew attention to the case at a municipal level, though the investigation remains under the authority of the judicial police and the prosecutor's office.

The Roquebillière district, located in eastern Nice, is a residential area of the city. Nice is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department and the second-largest city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region after Marseille, situated approximately 30 kilometers from the French-Italian border. French law permits the placement of minors in garde à vue under specific conditions, with particular procedural safeguards required when the detainee is under 16 years of age. Investigations for aggravated homicide in France are handled by specialized judicial police units and overseen by an examining magistrate when the case proceeds beyond the initial inquiry phase. The case drew significant media attention in France given the age of the son and the circumstances of the initial account he provided to police. No confirmed information is available on whether any additional suspects have been identified or whether the investigation has been formally referred to an examining magistrate.