The man who drove at high speed into a carnival procession in the little town of Strépy four years ago has been found guilty of intentional homicide – short of premeditated murder, but still a relief to the grieving families
Paolo Falzone, who drove a car at high speed into a carnival procession in Strépy four years ago, has been found guilty of seven counts of intentional homicide. While the jury found that he did not commit premeditated murder, it did find that he acted with the intention to kill.
In March of 2022, Falzone was driving nearly 175kph through the village of Strépy-Bracquenies, part of La Louvière in Hainaut province. It was 5.00 when he ploughed into a procession of the Gilles carnival characters, who, in keeping with tradition, had taken to the streets early to ring bells to wake up the villagers.
The incident led to seven deaths and dozens of injuries, shocking the entire country, where carnival was being celebrated. In little Strépy, practically every resident knew one of the victims.
It wasn’t a question of whether he would cause an accident but when
Falzone, now 38, had souped up his car to reach higher speeds. “He created a weapon out of this powerful vehicle,” read the jury’s statement. “He called his car ‘petite bombe’. Roads were a playground for him.”
The perpetrator was known for making videos of his odometer reaching high speeds and posting them online. The jury: “It wasn’t a question of whether he would cause an accident but when.” He had his phone in his hand at the moment of the accident, the jury further noted.
The lawyer representing the family of victim Frédéric D'Andrea had asked for a verdict of premeditated murder, but the jury concluded that Falzone had not acted with premeditation. Therefore, he was found guilty of doodslag, or intentional homicide – with the intent to kill but without premeditation.
Falzone was also convicted of 79 counts of attempted homicide in relation to the survivors of the incident.
Falzone’s cousin, Antonino Falzone, was in the passenger’s seat and found guilty of criminal negligence in relation to 59 people in need. “From the first impact, he knew what would happen,” said the judge in the court of assizes in Mons. “He knew there would be victims. Despite this, he never left a finger to help and never told the driver to stop. There were victims who had crashed into the windscreen who were still breathing, and he did nothing.”
Quite the opposite: Security camera footage shows that the men drove a full kilometre before stopping, whereupon Antonino got out and pulled the people off the hood of the car, leaving them in the street. He then proceeded to call his mother before eventually hailing down an ambulance that happened to be driving past.
‘Never meant to kill anybody’
While neither man appeared particularly remorseful during the trail, they did both become emotional in their final statements. “I am well aware that I drove like a crazy man, incredibly irresponsibly,” said Falzone. “I never meant to kill anybody. I find it difficult to express myself, but I never wanted this.”
Victims’ families were relieved at the verdict, sharing hugs and wiping away tears. “Justice was served today,” said Gregory D’Andrea, the brother of victim Frédéric D’Andrea. “To be honest, we were worried about what the jury would decide.”
Both men will be sentenced next Wednesday. “We still need to wait for the sentence, but it’s clear that they are guilty of seven counts of intentional homicide,” said D’Andrea. “That was the minimum in our eyes.”