Marseille: 15-year-old girl burned alive in France – “unprecedented atrocity”

In the southern French port city of Marseille, a 15-year-old boy was stabbed 50 times and then burned alive. Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Besson told a press conference on Sunday that Wednesday’s crime was the result of drug-related violence. He spoke of “unprecedented cruelty”. Another violent death allegedly involved a 14-year-old convict in the case.

Marseille is the second largest and one of the poorest cities in France. Drug-trafficking-related violence is common here, and in recent years several gangs have struggled to control the lucrative drug trade. Prosecutor Besson said the perpetrators and victims of this violence are getting younger.

Teens want to “intimidate” gang members

In the case now under investigation, the victim, a 15-year-old girl, was allegedly recruited into an online network by a 23-year-old inmate. The inmate, who described himself as a member of a gang known as the DZ Mafia, had hired the 15-year-old to set fire to his apartment door and threaten a rival. For this the young man was promised 2,000 euros. According to the state attorney’s office, the 15-year-old boy was discovered by members of a rival gang. The gang members stabbed the boy several times and set him on fire.

According to the state attorney’s office, the act of violence resulted in another violent death. After the 15-year-old’s death, the same inmate on the first crime assignment hired the 14-year-old to take revenge and kill a member of the so-called Black Gang. The prisoner promised a “reward” of 50,000 euros for this.

The 14-year-old hired his 36-year-old father, who had no connection to drug-related crime, as a driver. When he refused to wait for the teenager, the boy shot the man in the head. He used his gun for this.

With these two latest deaths, the number of violent deaths linked to drug trafficking in Marseille has risen to 17 for the whole of last year.