The trial of two students began this morning in a juvenile court in France, charged with involvement in the death of their 14-year-old classmate in March 2021, who drowned in the Seine River near Paris after being brutally beaten. A boy and a girl, who were 15 years old at the time of the incident, are facing eight closed sessions until next Thursday. The two students face a sentence of up to 20 years in prison if convicted in a case that garnered significant attention in France and highlighted bullying on social media.
The victim's parents attended the court session this morning with one of their children. According to data presented by the prosecutor, Alysha (14 years old) fell into an ambush set up by two of her classmates in Argenteuil (a Paris suburb) near the columns of the A15 highway bridge that spans the Seine River. The girl was brutally beaten at this secluded location and was thrown into the river while she was still fully conscious. The autopsy results indicated that Alysha drowned.
Prosecutor Eric Corbeau explained that Alysha initially had a friendship with the two students who were her classmates, but their relationship deteriorated in the weeks leading up to the tragedy due to issues related to "love and adolescent trivialities." The problems escalated to the point that the vocational school expelled the accused for bullying the victim. Later on, Alysha's mobile phone was hacked, and images of her in her underwear were shared on the Snapchat platform.
Alysha's death sparked outrage in France, with many calling for measures to curb bullying and to bring justice for the teenager.
