Killed by bullets in Nîmes: A past mixing violence, luxury watches and cryptocurrencies

A homicide in Nîmes, a legal past linked to luxury and crypto. A 47-year-old man was found shot to death on Sunday October 11 in his vehicle in Nîmes. According to Paris Match, he was convicted of the attack on a seller of luxury watches accepting cryptocurrencies and indicted in another case of kidnapping. Investigators are studying the possibility of a settling of scores, with no motive established at this stage.

The victim's body was discovered at midday in a vehicle on the Route de Courbessac, east of Nîmes. He had several bullet holes. The public prosecutor, Cécile Gensac, announced the opening of an investigation into murder by an organized gang, reports Paris Match.

The prosecution specifies that this man – designated by the initials F.A. – was known to the courts and had notably spent time in prison for drug-related offenses. His file even lists fourteen convictions.

Furthermore, a burned vehicle was found in Saint-Gervasy, about ten kilometers from Nîmes. Investigators are seeking to determine his possible link to the homicide. Its discovery constitutes a material lead, without allowing alone to reconstruct the perpetrators' flight.

The information currently available did not indicate any arrests. The circumstances of the shootings and the profile of the victim are directing research towards a possible settlement of scores. However, this hypothesis remains to be verified: his legal past is not enough to explain the facts.

According to Paris Match, F. A. was sentenced in 2024 for the violent attack on a major seller of luxury watches in cryptocurrencies. The facts date back to April 28, 2023, at the merchant's home, in the 17th arrondissement of Paris.

The magazine also mentions another procedure. In March 2024, F. A., his brother and three other people were indicted for theft, kidnapping, criminal association, torture and barbaric acts.

This case concerns a 26-year-old entrepreneur based in Dubai. On March 23, 2023, he showed up at a telephone store on rue Pergolèse to collect a deposit paid for a commercial project. The suspects then allegedly hit and held the young man in the back room, before extorting 130,000 euros in cash and luxury watches from him. His Parisian home was also said to have been burglarized.

The press indicates that F. A. had been placed in pre-trial detention, then released due to a procedural error. The magazine specifies having requested the Paris Court of Appeal, without response at the time of its publication.