The family of Elias, a 14-year-old boy killed with a machete in Paris in January 2025, is campaigning for a law requiring magistrates to meet victims or their relatives in cases of judicial dysfunction. Stéphanie Bonhomme, the boy's mother, voices her anger at the institution's silence. She seeks explanations for the failures that led to the tragedy.
On January 24, 2025, Elias, 14 years old, was fatally wounded after his football training in Paris's 14th arrondissement. Two minors, aged 16 and 17, demanded his mobile phone. The teenager was stabbed in the thorax with a machete and died in his parents' arms.
Stéphanie Bonhomme, Elias's mother and deputy head of vascular medicine service at Paris's Saint-Joseph Hospital, has been fighting this battle for over a year. "Our child died in our arms. Justice did not protect Elias. We want explanations," she states in a calm but determined voice. She speaks for a large blended family of four parents and ten children, including Elias, his 25-year-old big brother, his 22-year-old big sister, three half-brothers, and four children from her stepparents' previous unions.
The family is advocating for a law that would require magistrates to meet victims or their relatives when judicial malfunctions occur. This account highlights the frustration with the justice system's silence, as detailed in a Le Figaro article published on March 11, 2026.
