Stéphane Place, correspondent in Saint-Jean-de-Luz / Photo credit: GAIZKA IROZ / AFP
A ceremony in tribute to Agnès Lassalle was held this Thursday morning in the garden of the Saint-Jean-de-Luz cultural center. This Spanish teacher, aged 52, was murdered in the middle of class by a student, armed with a kitchen knife. The latter’s mental health remains at the heart of the investigation.
The emotion in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. One year to the day after the death of Agnès Lassalle, a Spanish teacher murdered in the middle of class by one of her students, a ceremony paid tribute to her this Thursday morning. Closed to the public, it was held in the garden of the city’s cultural center, in the presence of the victim’s relatives, local elected officials, the mayor, and several of her colleagues from the private establishment where this teacher of 52 years old practiced his profession. All this to salute the commitment of Agnès Lassalle. A commemorative plaque was unveiled in the park.
The mental health of the attacker at the heart of the case
At the same time, on the judicial level, the investigation continues. On February 22, 2023, Agnès Lassalle was giving her lesson when this second grade student approached the teacher. In his hands was a roll of paper towels that actually contained a kitchen knife with which he had struck him. Agnès Lassalle did not survive.
Arrested and disarmed a few minutes later, this young person, now aged 17, is in pre-trial detention. His mental health is at the heart of the matter. As for the Bayonne public prosecutor’s office, contacted this Thursday morning, we simply confirm that psychiatric assessments are being carried out as part of this judicial information. Its conclusions will be essential to understand what led this teenager to commit this irreparable act.