A 12-year-old girl, whose murderer lead to a ferocious political debate in France, was to be laid to rest on Monday (October 24). The brutal murder of the schoolgirl, identified as Lola, shocked the French capital Paris.
Her body was discovered in a container in the courtyard of her apartment building. French President Emmanuel Macron termed the killing of the young girl as “evil”.
The murder also led the critics to accuse Macron’s administration, stating that it was not doing enough to stop illegal immigration, to which officials fired back that such criticism was out of place at the time.
When Lola’s funeral is held later on Monday in the town of Lillers, in her native region of northern France, her family has pleaded for squabbles to be set aside and the young girl to be laid to rest in “respect and dignity”.
Although the public is welcome to attend the funeral mass, the family requests complete privacy for the burial in the cemetery. Gerald Darmanin, the interior minister and a close ally of Macron, is attending.
“I want that Lola’s parents have the possibility to live. I hope that people are very sober, discreet and very respectful,” the bishop of Arras Olivier Leborgne, who will lead the ceremony, told France 3 TV.
Who is the accused?
A 24-year-old Algerian-born woman is the main suspect in the case. She was arrested by the police. The woman is named in the press as Dahbia B.
Media reports have stated that she is suffering from psychiatric disorders. She was questioned by the police earlier Monday alongside an older man suspected of sheltering her.
A source close to the case told the news agency AFP said that the woman has been charged with the rape and murder of a minor aged under 15. She is also accused of torture and abuse.
The probe into the murder began after that and Lola’s body was found inside the container. Reports mentioned that her hands and feet were tied and her body was hidden by a covering of material.
The autopsy revealed that the young girl died due to “cardio-respiratory failure with signs of asphyxia and cervical compression” and reports mentioned that she had a gash on her neck.
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