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[Update on Friday Feb. 21]
- ○ The Guardian: French police release man arrested in Alps murders investigation
○ Le Dauphine – Garde à vue levée pour l’ex-policier : une décision “cohérente” selon son avocat
There may be a breakthrough in the high profile quadruple murder in the village of Chevaline, near Annecy in the Haute Savoie. (Too) much speculation and a one-sided massive investigation focused on the Saad al-Hilli family from Surrey in the UK. The French police thoroughly searched for evidence in the al-Hilli home, banking transactions of a large sum from an inheritance found in Geneva and making it more complicated by expanding investigation towards US Internet servers and an old history of the Iraqi family leading towards Baghdad. The police and the press failed miserably for not understanding the Shia background of the al-Hilli family, its religious roots in Karbala and making accusations of the inheritance money to be slush funds of Saddam Hussein. These views were thoroughly debunked by me and I tried to focus on the local situation in France.
MarilynZTomlins has put up an article specially linking my diary. She had closed down all comments earlier this year.
Saad Al-Hilli … His murder near to Chevaline … breakthrough or not?
I wish to draw your attention to an excellent piece about the shooting of Iraqi-born British national Saad Al-Hilli, his wife, his mother-in-law and Frenchman Sylvain Mollier. The Al-Hilli’s eldest daughter, just seven years old, was shot too but she had survived.
On the website of MarilynZTomlins, many of the scenarios were reviewed, adapted, local roads covered with a video report from a blogger and plenty of criticism towards the police investigation headquartered at Chambéry.
Many voices during the past 18 months advocated more focus on a local solution for the murder. Repeatedly, the French gendarmerie answered there was no motive for the murder of local cyclist Sylvain Mollier and most assets were placed on the al-Hilli family and the accusation pointed towards a family quarrel and ‘culprit’ older brother Zaid al-Hilli. Twice he was placed under arrest for interrogation and released on bail. The two nieces who survived the brutal attack were taken from the al-Hilli family at placed under custodianship of Surrey social services.
My analysis concluded it was either an espionage motivated assassination or the local person, cyclist Sylvain Mollier was targeted due to his love affair with a young woman and fathering a child in the summer of 2012.
Yesterday morning, a large squad of police investigators swarmed the premises of Eric Devouassoux in the village of LaThuile and placed him under arrest. Another man, a friend who tried to escape was apprehended and also placed under arrest. The breakthrough came when the French gendarmerie decided to release a sketch of a motorist on 4 November 2013. Yes, after a long waiting period of 14 months, this sketch was made public.
Suspect: Neighbours says Eric Devouassoux is man arrested (Photo: Daily Mirror UK)
Press conference @Chambéry – Report LeDauphine
From one hundred phone calls, forty were quite interesting and needed further investigation and follow-up. This led to the arrest of ED, a former chief of police from the town Menthon-Saint-Bernard across Lake Annecy. He was releaved from duty in the summer of 2013. ED had lived in a village nearby called Talloires, but had to move out when he lost his job. He was presently working as a security officer in Switzerland.
The police searched all known premises belonging to ED, his parents and the in-laws. The police found his fondness for hunting, a collector of old arms from WWII and was known for his temper, a violent special personality. His mobile phone placed him in the area where the killings took place. ED owned a light-grey motor, two helmets and had in his possession about 20 firearms plus grenades. In the houses of his parents, another 20 guns were taken and also grenades. There may be a link to arms trafficking, but that was too early for a conclusion. His custody will most likely get a deferment.
The police did not find the helmet from the sketch nor the murderer’s weapon a Swiss Luger P06 – 7.65mm. ED was fond of that style of pistol and a German Luger P06 Parabellum 9mm was found in his possession.
The French police did not rule out more arrests as the investigation continued and ED may not have acted alone.
- ○ French police take motorcycle from arrested man’s home
○ Alps shootings: arrested man could be charged with arms trafficking
My previous diaries written in the search for motive and circumstances why and how these murders happened:
- ○ Annecy Murder Mystery – Baghdad al-Hilli Family Points to Mossad Dec. 24, 2012
○ Murder of French Cézus/Areva Manager, A Mossad Hit in France? Sept. 6, 2012
Information collected @MarilynZTomlins :: Zak Martin, a forensic psychologist made a profile of killer,
and a total overview of the investigation, reports and videos here.
@ Zak Martin Psychic profiler, psychologist & author
Attempting to club someome to death, strikes me as something that someone might do who was used to killing animals – a farmer, perhaps, or a hunter. [or a woodsman, survivalist? – Oui] By the way, there is another angle to these murders that everyone seems to have completely overlooked. But I think I should probably leave that for another post….
EXCELLENT ANALYSIS – Worthwhile to reread his lenghty comment on this thread – here. Advise: search page for “Zak Martin”
Chevaline Murders – Table of Victims, Witnesses, and Players [Updated see P31/P32]
Here are listed a few of relevant videos about the Alps killings of the al-Hilli family and French cyclist Sylvain Mollier.
Tuerie de Chevaline – Réactions des voisins du suspect Eric Devouassoux Feb. 20, 2014
Suspect n°1 – Les secrets de la tuerie de Chevaline
Tuerie de Chevaline : les principales étapes