At Falzone Trial, Brother Pleads on Victim’s 51st Birthday

In a deeply emotional moment at the Assize Court of Mons on Tuesday, Grégory D’Andrea delivered a personal plea on behalf of the civil parties in the trial of Paolo Falzone — on what would have been his brother Frédéric’s 51st birthday. On the same day, the Prosecutor General called for Paolo Falzone to be convicted of assassination and seven counts of murder, risking life imprisonment.

Background: The Strépy-Bracquegnies Tragedy

The case stems from one of Belgium’s deadliest road incidents. On 20 March 2022, Paolo Falzone drove his BMW at speeds exceeding 170 km/h into a carnival parade in Strépy-Bracquegnies, a section of La Louvière in the province of Hainaut. According to RTBF, the vehicle struck multiple people, carrying one victim on its bonnet for approximately 22 seconds before he fell and was run over. Six people died at the scene; a seventh later died in hospital. Dozens more were injured.

The trial, which began on 23 April 2026 at the Lotto Mons Expo exhibition hall, involves approximately 200 civil parties and 269 scheduled witnesses. The proceedings are expected to last six to eight weeks.

A Birthday Plea in Court

Grégory D’Andrea chose to address the court alone, without a lawyer, wearing a blue polo shirt and jeans shorts. The date, 2 June, held profound significance: it was his brother Frédéric’s 51st birthday and also the birthday of his 18-year-old daughter.

He presented a birthday message on the court screens reading “Joyeux anniversaire, Fred” and concluded his address with an emotional “Joyeux anniversaire, frérot ! Je t’aime.”

Addressing the accused’s claims of not seeing the victims, Grégory said: “For my brother, the facts are even more unbearable in my eyes. He dragged my brother for several metres, he braked and accelerated again. Supposedly he didn’t see him.” He noted that Frédéric was wearing a traditional gille carnival costume, making it “impossible not to see him.”

Turning to the accused directly, he declared: “You, for four years, you’ve been hiding. You’ve been protected — not us!”

On the meaning of 2 June, he told the court: “Today is 2 June. It’s my big brother’s date and he would have turned 51. I’m also the father of an 18-year-old daughter. That’s what 2 June is for me. Every year. I only have one birthday left to celebrate.”

Prosecution Seeks Maximum Penalty

On the same day, Avocat Général Gilles Dupuis delivered his requisition, calling for the maximum sentence. As RTBF reported, the prosecutor argued that Paolo Falzone was responsible for his actions, that intent to kill was established, and that he could not have ignored the risk of driving at extreme speed through a carnival procession.

Key evidence cited by the prosecution included:

• The car was put in “sport” mode to increase speed
• Phone analysis showed Falzone saw the pedestrians
• Emergency braking would have stopped the car in time; braking was light initially, then full braking only 1.19 seconds before impact
• Fifteen witnesses said the car accelerated after the first impact
• The driver called his mother while still driving after the incident

Notably, the prosecutor requested an assassination (premeditated murder) charge specifically for Frédéric D’Andrea, arguing that the 22 seconds during which the victim was carried on the bonnet provided sufficient time for reflection and formation of intent, citing Belgian Court of Cassation jurisprudence.

Analysis and Implications

The prosecutor’s reliance on “dol éventuel” (conditional intent) — the principle that accepting the risk of death is sufficient to establish intent to kill — tests important boundaries of Belgian criminal law. The request for an assassination charge specifically for Frédéric D’Andrea, based on the 22-second window, represents a significant legal argument.

Grégory D’Andrea’s decision to speak without legal representation, in casual attire, and to mark his brother’s birthday within the formal setting of a criminal trial, added an extraordinary human dimension to the proceedings. His words captured how the tragedy has reshaped his family’s life: “I only have one birthday left to celebrate.”

What’s Next

The civil parties’ pleadings continued on 2 June, with lawyers Me le Hodey and Me De Beco addressing the court. The defense is expected to present its arguments following the prosecution’s requisition. The jury will then deliberate on the charges. Paolo Falzone faces potential life imprisonment, while co-accused Antonino Falzone (the passenger, no relation) faces charges of failure to render aid.