France: Somali migrant who stabbed roommate 50 times deemed mentally unfit for trial

The victim, 54-year-old Sylvain-Médard Louhemba, was found dead in his Caen apartment after friends noticed he had missed practice for his djembe music group. They found bloodstains on the door and alerted authorities. Upon entering, police discovered Louhemba’s body with around 50 stab wounds. His roommate, the Somali migrant, was soon identified as the prime suspect.

After fleeing the scene, the suspect eventually turned himself in at a police station in Paris, admitting to the crime. Psychiatric evaluations revealed he suffered from paranoid delusional disorder, rendering him incapable of understanding his actions. A second psychiatric opinion confirmed his lack of criminal responsibility.

The court ruled that the suspect would not face trial but would be hospitalized in a psychiatric facility instead. He has also been banned from returning to the Calvados region for 20 years, except in a specialized setting. The victim’s family was awarded €100,000 in moral damages. Meanwhile, the suspect refused to appear in court.