Grisly Discovery Unveils Murder and Cover-Up in Nice Bar

The courtroom in Alpes-Maritimes fell silent as the victim’s cousin, clutching a photograph of M’hand Goumiri, addressed the accused. Tears streamed down his face as he turned towards Abdelkrim K., the former manager of "L’Atrium," and Houari B., a former heavyweight boxer. "What could possibly justify something like this?" he demanded, his voice choked with emotion. "Alone, surrounded by two monsters wanting to kill him, what were his last words?"

The trial, unfolding three years after the horrific events, centers on the death of M’hand Goumiri, a 32-year-old fiber optic technician. Abdelkrim K. stands accused of his murder, while Houari B. faces charges of failing to assist a person in danger and tampering with the crime scene. The disappearance of M’hand Goumiri had been reported by his cousin, who had tirelessly searched for him, even visiting "L’Atrium," a bar frequented by the Kabyle community near the Promenade des Anglais. He inquired whether the owner, a stocky man of short stature with a receding hairline and a reputation for both joviality and a quick temper, had seen him. Abdelkrim K. had denied ever seeing him recently.

Adding to the mystery, M’hand Goumiri’s apartment, located near the bar, was found with the television on and his cell phone charging, yet there was no sign of the man himself. For five long months, M’hand Goumiri, known as "Dallas" due to a tattoo on his forearm and a father to a young child, remained missing.

However, the investigation soon focused on "L’Atrium" as rumors of an altercation involving the three men began to circulate. Investigators discovered traces of blood on artificial turf during a search of the premises. The blood evidence led them to a courtyard, then to a cellar, where they made a gruesome discovery beyond their darkest imaginations.

The cellar, a cramped and dimly lit space, contained a trowel, a saw, a bag of cement, and empty cans of expanding foam. Hidden behind a wall of clutter, detectives uncovered what they described as a "concrete sarcophagus" sealed against the wall.

The lead investigator from the criminal investigations unit testified that Abdelkrim K., who was present during the police search, had suddenly asked for a chair. He then confessed to the crime. He admitted to dragging M’hand Goumiri’s lifeless body to the cellar after a fatal fight. He stripped the body, placed it on a makeshift platform, and covered it in cement.

The state of the body, described as "mummified," made it difficult for forensic experts to determine the precise cause of death. Images of the body, presented during the trial’s second day, caused widespread horror and revulsion in the courtroom. One theory suggested a fatal head injury from a fall in the bathroom. However, Abdelkrim K. admitted to kicking M’hand Goumiri in the neck and striking him with a fake pistol. "I only wanted to teach him a lesson," he claimed, "I never intended to kill him."

The investigator countered by saying that Abdelkrim K. held immense hatred toward M’hand Goumiri. "This hatred consumed him," she testified. "We never detected any remorse. He didn’t seem to think he ruined his own life in the process."

Abdelkrim K.’s defense attorney, Me Lionel Ferlaud, attempted to downplay the premeditation of the crime. During questioning, Abdelkrim K. claimed he was being "racked" and even harassed by M’hand Goumiri. However, police testified that the investigation turned up no evidence to support this claim. The animosity between the two men seems to have stemmed from a dinner party in August 2021, during which they had a physical altercation.

The role of Houari B. in the events of that night remains unclear. He was present in the bar and may have struck M’hand Goumiri, but he purportedly tried to dissuade Abdelkrim K. from further violence. He also claimed to have performed CPR on the victim, without success, before helping to move the body to the cellar. He told the police that Abdelkrim K. had taken advantage of him and his background as a former amateur boxing champion from Algeria.

Despite Houari B.’s claims, the investigator testified that communication interceptions revealed a "complicity" between the two men. She also said that Houari B. had intentionally used other phones.

The three men had all been drinking on the night of the murder. M’hand Goumiri arrived at "L’Atrium" shortly after midnight, after which the blinds were drawn. In a final phone call with a friend, he expressed anger and insisted that nobody could lay a hand on him. The thirty-year-old never left the bar. The verdict is expected on Wednesday or Friday.