Minor Faces Justice for Marseille VTC Driver Murder
A 15-year-old boy is standing trial this week at the Paris Children’s Court for the contract killing of a VTC driver in Marseille in October 2024. This case marks a grim first in France’s judicial history, spotlighting the organized crime practice of recruiting underage hitmen via social media. The trial, being held behind closed doors due to the defendant’s age, is expected to conclude with a verdict on Thursday.
A Fatal Ride and a Botched Contract
The victim, 36-year-old father of three Nessim Ramdane, was found shot dead in his vehicle, which had crashed into a nursery school wall. Investigations revealed the teenager, then 14, had been recruited on Snapchat by a member of the Marseille-based “DZ Mafia” gang. His mission was to assassinate a rival drug trafficker in retaliation for the brutal murder of another 15-year-old boy.
According to judicial sources, the minor was brought from Nîmes to Marseille, provided with a weapon and a phone, and ordered a VTC via the Bolt app to reach his target. However, during the journey, an altercation erupted with the driver. The teenager allegedly shot Mr. Ramdane in the back of the head, killing an innocent man unrelated to the intended gang feud.
Denounced by His Employer
The plot took a further turn when the gang member who commissioned the hit, dissatisfied that the wrong person was killed, informed the police. This led to the swift arrest of the teenage hitman. The minor, who cannot be named under French law, was already known to authorities for five other less serious pending cases. Marseille’s prosecutor, Nicolas Bessone, described a troubled background, noting the boy had been in foster care since age nine, with both parents imprisoned on drug-related charges.
A Family’s Unending Grief
“I am waiting for the hearing with a knot in my stomach,” said Mélanie Giacomi, the victim’s widow, in an interview. “I need to see this minor who took Nessim’s life, not out of hatred, but to tell him about the irreparable harm he has caused my children.” She added that her family needs him to understand his act “plunged an entire family into horror.”
Nessim Ramdane, a local football figure known as a “super dad,” was working multiple jobs to support his family. His funeral was attended by some 500 people.
Legal Proceedings and Potential Sentence
The trial was moved to Paris, where France’s new National Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (Pnaco), which became operational in January, is leading the prosecution. This is its first trial. Due to his age at the time of the crime, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, as the legal “excuse of minority” cannot be set aside for offenders under 16.
The case has sent shockwaves through France, exposing a disturbing trend of criminal networks exploiting vulnerable minors for violent acts, facilitated by the ease of online recruitment.
