Immigrant Who Threw 89-Year-Old Jewish Neighbor from 17th-Floor Balcony Will Stand Trial
French court to determine if the brutal 2022 killing of René Hadjadj was a targeted hate crime or a psychotic break, as the Jewish community demands accountability.
Trial Opens in Lyon for Man Who Threw 89-Year-Old Jewish Neighbor from 17th-Floor Balcony
The trial of a 55-year-old man accused of the brutal 2022 murder of his elderly Jewish neighbor is set to begin this Sunday in the District Court of Lyon, France. The defendant, Rachid Haniche, faces charges for the death of René Hadjadj, 89, whom he allegedly threw from a 17th-floor balcony.
The case has reignited a fierce debate in France regarding the intersection of mental health and antisemitism in violent crimes.
The tragedy occurred on May 17, 2022. Hadjadj’s body was discovered at the foot of the apartment building where both men resided. Investigators quickly arrested Haniche, who lived on the 17th floor.
Haniche confessed to the act but claimed he was acting in self-defense during a confrontation, alleging the 89-year-old had attempted to "strangle" him. He further argued that he was suffering from a "paranoid psychotic episode" at the time and has consistently denied any antisemitic intent.
A central focus of the trial will be Haniche's mental state. According to his defense attorney, Océane Philoé:
1. Two separate psychiatric evaluations concluded that while Haniche's judgment was "impaired," it was not "entirely abolished."
2. This distinction is critical under French law, as it means he remains criminally responsible for his actions and can stand trial.
Several prominent Jewish organizations, including the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) and the International League Against Racism and Antisemitism (LICRA), have joined the case as civil plaintiffs. They argue that the antisemitic nature of the crime is undeniable.
"This was a neighbor who knew the victim well," stated attorney Franck Serfati, representing two of the organizations. "He knew he was Jewish, and he attacked him because he was Jewish."
The case has drawn inevitable and painful comparisons to the 2017 murder of Sarah Halimi, a Jewish woman who was also thrown from her balcony by a neighbor shouting "Allahu Akbar."
In the Halimi case, the French Court of Appeals eventually ruled that the killer, Kobili Traoré, could not stand trial because his heavy use of cannabis had triggered a "delirious fit," rendering him legally "not responsible." That decision sparked international outrage and led to changes in French law regarding drug-induced psychosis.
For the Jewish community in Lyon and across France, the Hadjadj trial represents a crucial test of whether the justice system will recognize antisemitic violence, even when the perpetrator claims mental instability.