A 26-year-old man named Adel Gourini was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday, September 18, for fatally stabbing Zakaria, a 15-year-old boy who intervened in a fight between teenagers in the French town of Romans-sur-Isère in April 2024. Zakaria was described as kind and selfless, who "paid for his altruism with his life," according to the prosecutor, Frédéric Uroz. The incident occurred during an evening in the La Monnaie neighborhood when Adel Gourini, along with his father, Boutaleb Gourini, and a younger brother, went in search of a middle school student they claimed was bullying their youngest family member. A video had previously circulated showing the accused student attacking the younger Gourini sibling. Zakaria, who was not involved in the initial dispute, tried to separate the accused student from a member of the Gourini family when he was struck with a knife by Adel Gourini. The prosecutor emphasized that the attack was intentional, noting the severity of the wound, which pierced Zakaria’s body. Adel Gourini claimed he had not intended to kill but lost control out of fear of the crowd. His lawyer, Elisa Wimmer, described the case as involving themes of responsibility, guilt, and dignity. Another lawyer, Jérôme Goudard, suggested Adel was trying to protect his brother from what he described as a "lynch mob" of at least 25 people. Boutaleb Gourini, Adel’s father, received a two-year prison sentence for complicity in the violence. The prosecutor had requested a four-year sentence for him, with two years suspended, and a bail order, arguing that he had "thrown his son into the arena." His lawyer, Ivan Flaud, countered that Boutaleb was a non-violent man who had sacrificed his life for his children after the death of his wife and wanted to resolve the conflict with the other family. The brother-in-law of Adel Gourini received a six-month sentence for aiding in his escape. The La Monnaie neighborhood, where the incident occurred, had drawn attention earlier in the year after the death of Thomas, a 16-year-old who was stabbed during a dance in a neighboring village. Some of the individuals involved in that case were also from La Monnaie. The prosecutor urged against stigmatizing the neighborhood, emphasizing that the violence should not be attributed to the area itself, but to the individuals involved.