Stéphane Maraine sentenced to 25 years for 2019 murder in Courtenay

The Paris Court of Assizes on appeal has sentenced 53-year-old mason Stéphane Maraine to 25 years of criminal imprisonment for the murder of Housni N. The crime occurred in 2019 in Courtenay, Loiret.

Housni N., who managed a luxury car rental agency in Hauts-de-Seine, was found dead on June 26, 2019, in an unoccupied house he intended to purchase. His body was discovered in a locked basement room, having sustained approximately a dozen gunshot wounds. Investigators noted the scene had been meticulously cleaned with bleach, and no blood spatter or the murder weapon was recovered.

Maraine had previously been acquitted in a 2025 first-instance trial after five years of provisional detention. Following an appeal by the general prosecutor, the appellate court overturned the previous verdict. Maraine’s partner, who was also acquitted in 2025, was acquitted again during this second trial.