Prosecution demands 16-year sentence in Bonnevoie stabbing trial

On Friday, the public prosecutor's office said the main defendant should be sentenced to 16 years in prison, while a second defendant should receive six months with suspension for assault and battery.

For the main defendant who carried out the fatal stabbing, any suspension of his sentence should not exceed half of the period in detention due to the severity of the offence, said the prosecution. "It was a direct stab to the heart, a brutal gesture which would have taken willpower."

At the time of the incident, the main defendant was 17 years old. Now he is being tried as an adult in open court under criminal law, a rare occurrence in Luxembourg. But it was justified by the gravity of the situation.

The prosecution added that age can be an extenuating circumstance, as from a neurological point of view, the brain is not fully developed until later. A young person's impulse control might not be fully functional, which could have played a role in the stabbing.

The defence said the stabbing occurred as a result of legitimate self-defence. Although the victim was unarmed at the time, he attacked with his fists and the main defendant panicked. The defence argued the main defendant had no intention of killing the victim and instead wanted to keep the victim at a distance using the weapon. So the elements of a fatal attack were not present.

The lawyer for the second defendant, a friend of the deceased who was involved in the stabbing and was himself injured by a knife, pleaded self-defence.

The lawyer representing the victim's family said it was a stupid idea to go to the meeting with plans to steal the drugs instead of agreeing to the deal, but "nothing justifies him receiving a wound to the heart."

For that act, one only person was responsible: the main defendant. Both have apologised to the family.

The verdict is due on 13 November.