The trial of Andy, a teenager accused of murdering his parents and twin 10-year-old brothers in Corsica three years ago, begins on Monday.

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Andy, now 19, is appearing before a court for minors in Ajaccio in a case that has attracted international interest.

The prosecution alleged he murdered his family with clinical precision in the middle of the night of August 11th to 12th 2009.

According to the charges, the accused, then 16, donned latex gloves and used a handgun to all the members of his family, one after another.

The adolescent subsequently left the house with a bag containing laundry and various valuable objects.

He was discovered the following night at a beach in a state of shock, barefooted and in short, by one of his uncles.

He admitted to police that he had killed his family.

At issue is the question of criminal responsibility for the young man, who was regarded as a good student without noticeable problems at the time of the facts, Europe 1 reports.

Experts appear divided, although a majority believe he was not capable of discerning right from wrong at the time of the events and should not be held criminally responsible.

The case was one of a youth “seized by an irresistible force” who acted unconsciously in a “second state,” Andy’s lawyer, Romina Cresci, told Europe 1.

“One should not expect that he expresses regret in the same way as someone with a normal psychological constitution, Cresci said.

Civil parties in the case, including Andy’s grandparents, an uncle and an aunt, do not want to “crush him”  or to “push him,” according to their lawyer Alija Fazaï.

The relatives simply want the young man to explain himself because during the investigation “he did not respond to questions,” Fazaï told Europe 1.

Apart from his lawyers, Andy has not received any visitors while incarcerated in the Borgo prison in Corsica.
 
Last year, he passed his Baccalaureate exams and hopes to pursue scientific studies, Europe 1 reported.