“It crossed the television screen”: in the village of Sihem, strong emotion for the inhabitants

“Just thinking about it hurts.” This resident is in shock after the announcement of Sihem’s death. Here, in La Grand-Combe, in the Gard, the village where the late young girl is from, there are still many questions this morning. It was not far from there, on an isolated path, that the body of the 18-year-old schoolgirl was found. On the indications of his alleged murderer, this 39-year-old multi-recidivist offender confessed. He talks about a dispute over a romantic relationship – an affair that the lawyer for the teenager’s family refutes.

“It inspires disgust in me”

The tragic outcome of this case is in any case a shock for the inhabitants, shaken by the news. The inhabitants of the valley do not hide their anger. “Oh, that inspires disgust in me. Such a young girl… It’s unfortunate.

While Sihem’s relatives gather in a communal hall on the square of the Grande Combe church, the discussions are animated because the high school student was a known face in the village. “It touched everyone”, confides a resident to Europe 1. “She was known this little girl. Her brother ran a chicken business. We saw her passing by, she worked at Domino’s Pizzas too. We say to ourselves that from day to tomorrow, we won’t see her again and that’s not fair. At 18, she had a lot in front of her.”

The suspect was to be tried at the assizes this week

Nearby, parents head down to pick up their children from school. The horror is very real, laments this father: “As they say, it has passed the television screen. It is near our home and we do not imagine that it can happen so quickly. There’s no other word. I’m going to get my kids back. I feel for the family and you can’t imagine it.” But this drama was inevitable? Some wonder because the main suspect was to be tried at the assizes this week in a homejacking case [un vol de voiture au domicile du propriétaire, ndlr] pending for more than 10 years.