Afghan teen sentenced to 8 years for ‘senseless’ fatal stabbing of French boy Matisse Marchais

Matisse (L). his murderer (R)

A French juvenile court sentenced a 16-year-old Afghan migrant to eight years in prison on Wednesday for the fatal stabbing of Matisse Marchais, a 15-year-old French boy, in a case that sparked national outrage and intensified public scrutiny of France’s immigration policies.

Rahman M., who was also 15 at the time of the attack in April 2024, was convicted by the Châteauroux juvenile criminal court following a three-day closed-door trial. The court also imposed an additional 15 years of socio-judicial monitoring after his release.

The teenager faced a maximum sentence of 15 years under French juvenile law, but the court ruled that he had a “significant impairment of discernment,” leading to a reduced prison term.

The attack occurred on April 27, 2024, in the Saint-Denis district of Châteauroux. According to police and media reports at the time, Rahman M. had previously been in an altercation with Matisse earlier in the day. He then returned to the area carrying a knife and stabbed Matisse multiple times, inflicting a fatal wound to the heart. A police source confirmed the boy was left lying unresponsive in the street and later died in hospital. Rahman’s mother, a 37-year-old Afghan woman, was also alleged to have struck Matisse as he lay bleeding.

Video evidence showed Rahman M. roaming the neighborhood with a knife before the killing. He had previously been under judicial supervision in connection with an aggravated theft case but had not been convicted.

Court president David Marcat described the sentence as “very balanced” and “well understood by Matisse’s family,” noting that it served the dual purpose of protecting society and allowing for the possibility of rehabilitation.

The prosecution had requested a 10-year sentence and 10 years of follow-up monitoring, but the court adjusted the terms in light of the defendant’s age and mental state. Rahman M. has 10 days to appeal the ruling.

Matisse’s family, who had largely avoided public commentary during the trial, previously expressed deep disillusionment with the process, saying they “did not expect anything at all from this trial” and “certainly not explanations that will not arrive.” However, they have since vowed to turn their grief into a broader fight against youth violence. On April 30, 2025, they held a public tribute titled “The Otter Against Violence,” pledging to transform their son’s death into a campaign for a more humane and safe society.

The case drew intense national attention from the outset, with many conservative politicians linking the killing to France’s immigration policies. Marine Le Pen described Matisse as “the latest victim of a crazy migration policy,” while Jordan Bardella of the National Rally called him a “new victim of a senseless migration policy that endangers the French people.” Reconquête President Éric Zemmour went further, calling the murder an act of “Francocide.”

Local mayor Gil Avérous, however, emphasized the family’s desire not to politicize the tragedy. “They do not want us to talk about the origin of the attacker, they do not want the subject of immigration to be exposed,” he said at the time, quoting the family’s own words.

Despite that appeal, Matisse’s murder became a symbol for many in France of what they see as the failures of the justice system and the dangers of unchecked immigration. A silent “White march” held in Matisse’s memory last year drew large crowds.

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