The verdict fell on Wednesday evening: Michael Sako was sentenced to 23 years in prison by the Assize Court of Haute-Garonne, in Toulouse. for This 33-year-old man was convicted of killing Benjamin Quiles. This 35-year-old policeman died in July 2019 after a fight in the parking lot of Esmeralda, a nightclub in the Sesquières area.
“A surge of violence”
The author of the fatal blows was convicted of murder: the intention to kill was recognized after three days of hearings. Three days of trying to understand what happened on the night of July 19 to 20, 2019. Why a man, described as “nice teddy bear” by his relatives and colleagues because of his build died “for a history of sandwiches” say a lawyer.
That evening, Benjamin Quiles and one of his friends are queuing in front of a food-truck parked in the parking lot of the nightclub where they have just spent the evening. Michaël Sako and one of his friends arrive by car: they have drunk a lot. The accused grills the queue and grabs the manager to be served quickly. An attitude that does not please Benjamin Quilès: the fight breaks out. Benjamin Quilès receives an uppercut and collapses. But Mickael Sako continues to hit him while he is on the ground. According to a witness, he jumped on her head with both feet. The autopsy report will reveal twelve fractures to the face and head. Benjamin Quiles will have his skull smashed.
A conviction for intentional homicide
It is this relentlessness pleaded by the lawyers of the relatives of Benjamin Quiles: they refuse to talk about a fight. For them, it was an attack with the intention of ending it. This is the opinion of Me Laurant Boguet, the lawyer for the wife of Benjamin Quiles, his daughter and the friend who accompanied the police officer on the evening of the tragedy: “It’s not a fight that went wrong: we are witnessing the killing of an individual from a perfectly futile motive because he allowed himself to reflect on someone who went up a queue and spoke badly to a waitress, and the mere fact of pointing this out to her led to an onslaught of violence from Michael Sako, an onslaught that left no room for any response from the part of the victim. I remind you that Benjamin Quiles died once he was knocked out and that the defendant rushed to crush his face with both feet. When you jump with both feet on the face of an unconscious victim is to kill him.”
Michaël Sako’s lawyers reject the homicidal intent. They claim that the accused got carried away, that he did not control himself under the influence of alcohol, but that he in no way wanted to kill.
The Advocate General asked for a sentence “meaningful”, between 20 and 25 years old. The jury ultimately set the sentence at 23 years and admitted homicidal intent.
Michaël Sako has ten days to appeal. He will have to pay 70,000 euros in moral damages to the parents of Benjamin Quiles, his brother and his sister. The amount of damages awarded to his wife and daughter will be determined during a subsequent hearing.
Another man was in the dock. He appeared free for violence committed on the friend of Benjamin Quiles. He was sentenced to 9 month suspended sentence.