Four people, including two men linked to France's extreme right, are standing trial in Paris over the killing of Federico Martín Aramburú, a former Argentina rugby player who was shot dead in March 2022. The trial is expected to conclude on September 25 and the defendants face possible life imprisonment: Loïk Le Priol for murder, Romain Bouvier for attempted murder, Lyson Rochemir for complicity in attempted murder, and a fourth defendant for concealing evidence. The incident occurred after a fight broke out at a bar in Paris's Latin Quarter between Aramburú and the defendants, who witnesses described as "furious" after being insulted by Aramburú. The case has sparked an outcry from Argentina's rugby federation and players, who are calling for justice to be served.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Four people including two men linked with France’s extreme right are set to stand trial in Paris over the killing of former Argentina rugby player Federico Martín Aramburú.
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people → include → Aramburú
The trial taking place more than four years after Aramburú was shot dead in March 2022 starts on Monday, with a verdict expected on Sept. 25.
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verdict → take → Sept.
The 42-year-old Aramburú was killed as he was leaving a bar in Paris.
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he → kill → Paris
He had traveled to the capital with his friend and former New Zealand player Shaun Hegarty to attend the Six Nations Championship.
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He → travel → Championship
Aramburú, married and the father of three, had settled in the French Basque Country at the end of his career in 2012, having played for Biarritz, Perpignan, Dax and Glasgow in Scotland.
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Aramburú → settle → Scotland
He earned 22 caps for Argentina and helped his country finish third at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
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country → earn → Cup
Last Saturday, Argentina’s players warmed up before a match against Australia wearing T-shirts with “Justicia por Fede” (Justice for Fede) written on them in his memory.
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players → warm → memory
Argentina’s rugby federation also called for justice to be served.
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justice → call → ?
Loïk Le Priol, 32, is being prosecuted for murder, while Romain Bouvier, 35, faces charges of attempted murder.
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Bouvier → prosecute → murder
They both face the possibility of life imprisonment.
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They → face → imprisonment
Le Priol’s former girlfriend, 29-year-old Lyson Rochemir, who drove Bouvier to the scene of the shooting, also faces a possible life sentence for complicity in attempted murder.
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who → drive → murder
A fourth defendant faces up to three years in prison for concealing evidence in order to protect one of the shooters.
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defendant → face → shooters
Bouvier and Le Priol had been banned from seeing each other following their convictions for aggravated assault against a former president of a far-right student association in 2015.
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Bouvier → ban → 2015
As members of the same organization, they said they had wanted to humiliate him because he “boasted about having assaulted women.”
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he → say → women
On March 19, 2022, shortly after 5 a.m., the two former rugby players arrived at a bar in Paris’s Latin Quarter, Le Mabillon.
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players → arrive → Quarter
They sat at a table next to the one occupied by the far-right activists.
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They → sit → activists
Everyone was under the influence of alcohol, the investigation showed.
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investigation → show → alcohol
Although the initial conversation appeared cordial, things quickly deteriorated and insults were exchanged.
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insults → appear → ?
Le Priol allegedly told Aramburú: “You’re going to shut up, otherwise I’ll shoot you and then I’ll (expletive) your mother.”
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I → tell → you
The defendants dispute that these words were spoken.
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words → dispute → ?
A fight then broke out.
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fight → break → ?
The bar’s bouncer intervened, and at around 6 a.m., the two groups went separate ways.
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groups → intervene → ways
According to witnesses, the two far-right activists were “furious.”
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activists → accord → witnesses
Together with Le Priol’s former girlfriend, who was driving their Jeep car, they set off in search of the rugby players, according to Le Priol, in order to “sort things out.”
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they → drive → things
Surveillance footage showed the two former rugby players walking down the street toward their hotel.
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players → show → hotel
Hegarty had stopped to get some ice cubes to relieve the injuries he had sustained during the fight at the bar.
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he → stop → bar
Bouvier was the first to spot them while he was in the Jeep with Rochemir.
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he → spot → Rochemir
He fired four shots at Aramburú, two of which struck and wounded him.
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two → fire → him
Le Priol then arrived running and fired six shots into his back.
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Priol → arrive → back
Four hit him, two of them fatally.
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Four → hit → them
The Argentine collapsed into Hegarty’s arms.
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Argentine → collapse → arms
Le Priol and Bouvier have admitted firing the shots but deny having any intention to kill.
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Priol → admit → intention
Le Priol described his actions as “a pure reflex,” explaining that he “wasn’t himself,” that he “wasn’t there,” and that he “was in Africa.”
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he → describe → Africa
A former soldier, he had served in Mali, Niger and Djibouti, where he allegedly strangled and assaulted a prostitute.
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he → serve → prostitute
He was repatriated to France in 2015 because of a post-traumatic disorder, and his military contract was terminated in 2017 after he was charged with aggravated assault in connection with the October 2015 incident.
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he → repatriate → incident
From the very first day, investigators knew who was responsible for Aramburu’s death, as the events had been captured by several surveillance cameras.
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events → know → cameras
Rochemir was arrested on the same day, March 19.
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Rochemir → arrest → day
Le Priol was arrested three days later while attempting to cross the border between Hungary and Ukraine.
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Priol → arrest → Hungary
Bouvier was arrested on Oct. 23, 2022, in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, in Western France.
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Bouvier → arrest → France
The two defendants charged with murder and attempted murder are currently in custody, while Rochemir and the fourth defendant will stand trial while at liberty under judicial supervision.
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Rochemir → charge → supervision
