Hélène Pastor was a Monégasque businesswoman and heiress to one of Monaco's largest real-estate fortunes, built by her family over several generations. On 6 May 2014, she was shot in an ambush in Nice, France, as she left L'Archet Hospital, where she had been visiting her son. Her driver, Mohamed Darouich, was also struck by gunfire, and both were gravely wounded. Darouich died of his injuries on 11 May 2014, and Pastor died on 21 May 2014.
French investigators traced the attack to a contract killing organised on behalf of Wojciech Janowski, the long-term partner of Pastor's daughter. Prosecutors alleged that Janowski arranged the murder to gain access to the family fortune, and that the plot was coordinated through his personal trainer, Pascal Dauriac, who recruited others to carry out the shooting. Two men from the Marseille area were identified as the gunman and the lookout.
The case was tried before the Bouches-du-Rhône assize court in Aix-en-Provence. On 17 October 2018, Janowski was convicted of ordering the two murders and sentenced to life imprisonment. The gunman, Samine Saïd-Ahmed, and the lookout, Al-Haïr Hamadi, each received life sentences, while Dauriac was sentenced to 30 years. Several other defendants received shorter terms, and two were acquitted.
Janowski and other defendants appealed, and a second trial was held in 2021 before the Bouches-du-Rhône Court of Appeal. In November 2021, the appeal court upheld Janowski's life sentence for ordering the killings. Saïd-Ahmed and Hamadi again received life imprisonment, and Dauriac's sentence was reduced to 22 years. Omer Lohore, described as a go-between and acquitted at the first trial, was convicted on appeal and sentenced to six years.
Prosecutors described the killings as financially motivated. Janowski maintained his innocence during the appeal, asserting that he had been the target of a set-up. Pastor's death drew wide attention in Monaco and southern France, reflecting both the prominence of the Pastor family and the scale of the fortune involved. The convictions established that the attack was a planned, financially driven contract killing carried out by hired men on behalf of a family member.
Hélène Pastor is born in Monaco into the Pastor real-estate family.
2014-05-06
Pastor and her driver, Mohamed Darouich, are shot in an ambush as they leave L'Archet Hospital in Nice, France.
2014-05-11
Mohamed Darouich dies of his gunshot wounds.
2014-05-21
Hélène Pastor dies of her gunshot wounds.
2014-06
Wojciech Janowski, the partner of Pastor's daughter, admits involvement in the killing to investigators.
2018-10-17
At the Bouches-du-Rhône assize court in Aix-en-Provence, Janowski is convicted of ordering the murders and sentenced to life; the gunman and lookout also receive life, and other defendants are convicted or acquitted.
2021-10-18
The appeal trial opens before the Bouches-du-Rhône Court of Appeal in Aix-en-Provence.
2021-11
The appeal court upholds Janowski's life sentence; other sentences are adjusted, including a reduction for Dauriac and a conviction for a defendant acquitted at the first trial.
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Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
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Al-Haïr Hamadi
CONVICTED
Convicted of being the lookout in the attack; sentenced to life imprisonment, upheld on appeal (2021).
Mohamed Darouich
VICTIM
Pastor's driver, wounded in the same ambush; died of his injuries on 11 May 2014. Name also rendered 'Mohamed Darwich' in some reports.
Hélène Pastor
VICTIM
Monégasque businesswoman and real-estate heiress; fatally shot on 6 May 2014, died 21 May 2014.
Pascal Dauriac
CONVICTED
Janowski's personal trainer; convicted of organising the killing; sentenced to 30 years (2018), reduced to 22 years on appeal (2021).
Omer Lohore
CONVICTED
Described as a go-between; acquitted at the first trial in 2018, then convicted on appeal in 2021 and sentenced to six years.
Samine Saïd-Ahmed
CONVICTED
Convicted of being the gunman in the shooting; sentenced to life imprisonment, upheld on appeal (2021).
Wojciech Janowski
CONVICTED
Long-term partner of Pastor's daughter; convicted of ordering the two murders and sentenced to life imprisonment (2018), upheld on appeal (2021).
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Monégasque heiress Hélène Pastor and her driver were fatally shot in a 2014 ambush in Nice, France. Her daughter's long-term partner, Wojciech Janowski, was convicted of ordering the contract killing and sentenced to life imprisonment, a verdict upheld on appeal in 2021.
Where did the murder happen?
Nice, France (near L'Archet Hospital).
Who was convicted?
Al-Haïr Hamadi (Convicted of being the lookout in the attack; sentenced to life imprisonment, upheld on appeal (2021).), Pascal Dauriac (Janowski's personal trainer; convicted of organising the killing; sentenced to 30 years (2018), reduced to 22 years on appeal (2021).), Omer Lohore (Described as a go-between; acquitted at the first trial in 2018, then convicted on appeal in 2021 and sentenced to six years.), Samine Saïd-Ahmed (Convicted of being the gunman in the shooting; sentenced to life imprisonment, upheld on appeal (2021).), and Wojciech Janowski (Long-term partner of Pastor's daughter; convicted of ordering the two murders and sentenced to life imprisonment (2018), upheld on appeal (2021).).
