Two men charged with the murder of former Argentine rugby player Aramburú

PARIS – The Paris prosecutor’s office said Friday that two men will go on trial accused of premeditated murder in the shooting death of former Argentine rugby player Federico Martín Aramburú two years ago.

According to the prosecutor’s office, Loïk Le Priol and Romain Bouvier were charged with murder, and Lyson Rochemir was charged with complicity in murder.

Aramburú was shot several times in the back in the early morning hours of March 19, 2022, outside a bar on the Left Bank, a popular district of Paris that is home to several late-night establishments. He was 42 years old. The shooting occurred after an argument involving a group of people, including Aramburú and his friend Shaun Hegarty.

Rochemir allegedly drove Bouvier in a vehicle that was following Aramburú and then – at Le Priol’s request – allegedly changed the evidence by parking the vehicle in a different location after the shooting.

She was also charged with destroying evidence by throwing away the SIM card from Le Priol’s mobile phone.

A third man, Antony Sorrentino, was charged with obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence. He is accused of providing Bouvier with a place to live and money, and of disposing of Bouvier’s weapons and clothes.

Le Priol was arrested in Budapest, Hungary, a few days after the murder, and Bouvier was arrested in France.

Both men were linked to France’s far right.

Aramburú played 22 times for Argentina as a center or winger, scoring in the victory over Georgia at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. In the years 2004-10 he played for French clubs Biarritz, Perpigan and Dax.