The trial concerning the killing of former Argentina rugby international Federico Aramburú opened on Monday in Paris. The court case centers on accused figures Loïk Le Priol and Romain Bouvier, who face charges following a fatal shooting on boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris on March 19, 2022.
Federico Aramburú, who played club rugby for Biarritz, died following an early-morning altercation in the capital’s Saint-Germain-des-Prés district. The proceedings before the Paris court are scheduled to last for three weeks.
Timeline of Events on Boulevard Saint-Germain
The incident began inside the Mabillon bar. Aramburú was celebrating a recently concluded contract for a travel agency alongside former Biarritz player Shaun Hegarty. An argument broke out at a neighboring table involving individuals later identified as far-right militants, leading to a fight before the patrons departed the establishment.
Witnesses told investigators that Loïk Le Priol shouted “I’m going to kill him” toward a server after the rugby players had left the bar. At approximately 6:00 a.m. on March 19, Aramburú and Hegarty encountered a jeep outside a nearby hotel while seeking ice. Court records show that Romain Bouvier fired first, for which he will appear for attempted assassination, before Loïk Le Priol fired six shots within four seconds at a distance of one meter, proving fatal for the rugby player.
Defendant Backgrounds and Legal Arguments
Loïk Le Priol, a 32-year-old former member of the French naval commandos and the now-dissolved far-right group GUD, faces potential life imprisonment. During preliminary questioning, Le Priol claimed he fired by “pure reflex” and described experiencing an “effect tunnel” linked to his past military service in Africa with Operation Barkhane. Military medical records indicated he had been repatriated from the Sahel due to severe post-traumatic stress disorder before leaving the armed forces in 2017.
Prosecutors rejected the defense’s characterization of diminished responsibility. The December 2024 parquet indictment highlighted that Le Priol exhibited composure immediately following the shooting—hiding a revolver under a bridge, instructing his partner Lyson Rochemir to discard a phone and SIM card, and boarding a train under another identity. Hungarian authorities apprehended Le Priol five days later as he attempted to cross the border into Ukraine.
Co-Accused and Judicial Next Steps
Alongside Le Priol, co-defendant Romain Bouvier stands trial for his role in the shooting. Lyson Rochemir, who drove the vehicle that morning, also appears in the proceedings. Defense attorneys for the accused have declined public comments ahead of the three-week courtroom hearings.
The trial continues this week at the Paris criminal court as magistrates examine the sequence of events, ballistic evidence, and the defendants’ political affiliations and psychological evaluations. Further witness testimonies and expert medical statements are scheduled throughout the remainder of the judicial calendar.
