If you are not signed up please make sure you sign-up to receive all the newsletters — as always, thanks for your support.
This is Part Two in a two-part investigation, please read Part One to learn about the story behind what happened, the victims & witnesses in this epically complicated case.
What We Know Contd…
Check out the Evidence Board for an overview of materials.
Suspects
The case has not been short on suspects. From family members to crazed killers, a full cast of characters featured over the years. Despite that, most have been cleared through methods that are not always immediately obvious.
Zaid al-Hilli
The brothers most certainly had a dispute over their father’s estate. As suspicious as that may have made Zaid seem, it appears there is zero evidence pointing to the elder sibling as having arranged the murders. There were allegedly a number of phone calls to Romania from Zaid to unknown recipients — however it has not emerged those had any link to the killings.
Many families go through inheritance disputes and whilst some may have seen his behaviour as odd or lacking in emotion — this does not make him a killer. Zaid himself has been vocal about the investigation and how he feels the French team have focussed unnecessarily on his family. He believes they should be looking more at Mollier as the main victim and the answers coming from the local area.
Eric Devouoassoux
On 18 February 2014, 48-year-old Devouoassoux was arrested following the release of an artist's impression of a man in a motorcycle helmet. Devouoassoux was a local man, living in the village of Lathuile, two miles from the murder. Police removed several guns from his home, he was an avid weapons collector and had been dismissed from the municipal police in June 2013. The police investigated the possibility Devouoassoux was the biker but after removing his motorbike and checking his alibis it was established he was not the same biker witnesses saw. It was later shown that the ex-policeman's DNA did not match the two samples found in the vehicle of the victims. However, it is unclear whether these are the only reasons for the police not pursuing him further, since we don’t know that the DNA is in fact that of the killer.
Biker Suspect
In February 2015, the biker was finally traced and identified as a man from Lyon. He was interviewed by detectives from Chambery and told them he had come to Chevaline to practice his passion for paragliding. The motorcyclist was said to have been riding on the Combe d’Ire road around 3pm before he was stopped by two forest rangers who asked him to leave. He agreed, riding back down the path past the car park where the al-Hilli family and a cyclist were gunned down. The investigators claim — “His personal and professional profile exclude him 95% from the list of suspects.” Though, yet again, we are unsure what exactly has excluded him, one would think a profile was not enough to rule a suspect out.
Patrice Menegaldo
Since his suicide in June 2014, the ex-French Foreign Legion soldier from Ugine has been positioned very high on the list of suspects. Menegaldo was connected to Mollier because he had an affair for seven years with his sister. Menegaldo also knew Mollier’s partner, Claire Schutz. Investigators made the assumption he committed suicide because he thought of himself as being a suspect, even though police admitted not to have had him as a primary suspect when they spoke to him in April 2014.
It is also worth noting the area is not densely populated so the connections to the case are not necessarily a wild coincidence, nothing has been proven to definitively connect Menegaldo to the murders. Mental illness can effect many and it is pure speculation that Menegaldo’s suicide is related to the case. Yet again Eric Maillaud fuelled speculation by stating he was at the top of the suspect list, yet never following up by saying he had been removed. No other evidence has been made public to connect him to the case and if the police had evidence to definitively connect him, one would assume we would know more.
Nordahl Lelandais
Lelandais is a French alleged serial killer currently being investigated for up to 40 unsolved cold cases & murders. He has confessed to the murders of a soldier who was hitch-hiking in April 2017, and the abduction & murder of an eight-year-old schoolgirl in August 2017. In addition, he was charged with sexual assault of two of his cousins.
He is unusual in that he has many types of victims — he is a paedophile but also murders adults of both genders — meaning he could be connected to any number of deaths. Whilst Lelandais is certainly a terrifying character it seems he is unlikely to be the killer in this case. A recent inquiry has ruled him out as the Alps murderer, but again it is unclear why.
Michel Hecht
In 2008, Michel Hecht, a Belgian, was jailed in 2008 for shooting at his family. Ten months after he was jailed for the attacks on his family, he was alarmingly released on remand.
Hecht had been a significant suspect in another unsolved crime, the killings of British cyclists Lorraine Glasby, 28, and Paul Bellion, 29, who were found shot dead in a maize field in Brittany in 1986, which was in turn potentially linked to earlier murders of Belgian cyclists. There was never enough evidence to convict Hecht in the 1986 murders and the case collapsed.
Hecht lives in Vosges, France, two hours from Annecy. The investigation was tipped off by a former policeman who had worked on Glasby & Bellion murders. It’s unclear at this point how far the Annecy investigators have looked into Hecht as a viable suspect. He is innocent until proven guilty.
“Mr S”
A 35-year-old Iraqi man was questioned following a tip off from a former jailmate. The man, identified as Mr S, was traced after claims he once told a fellow prisoner he had been offered “a large sum of money” to kill Iraqis living in the UK.
He was released without charge once it was established he was not in France on the day of the killings and there was no evidence linking him to the al-Hillis.
Timeline
Wednesday, September 5th, 2012:
Just after 1pm — The al-Hilli’s set out from their campsite.
Around 3:15pm — The al-Hilli’s stop in Doussard and take some family photos. Brett Martin spots Mollier passing him at the foot of the hilly road.
Sometime between 3:20pm & 3:25pm — The al-Hilli’s start to make their way up Route Forestière Domaniale de la Combe d'Ire.
Between 3:35-3:40pm — The killings are believed to have taken place.
Just after 3:40pm — Brett Martin comes upon the horrific crime scene and reports it to local police.
Approx 4.20pm — Local police arrive at the murder scene.
Thursday, September 6th, 2012 approx Midnight: Specialised police from Paris arrive, they discover Zeena.
Wednesday, September 5th, 2012 — Seven hours later: Natchez, Mississippi, USA, James Thompson, Iqbal’s ex-husband slumps over and dies in an apparent heart-attack.
Monday, September 10th, 2012: British Bomb Squad police are called to the al-Hilli’s Surrey home. Ultimately no hazardous items were found. Zainab al-Hilli emerges from her coma.
Saturday, September 22nd, 2012: British & French police form an official joint investigation.
Tuesday, 13th, 2012: A man is arrested with fraud in relation to trying to access Saad al-Hilli’s bank accounts.
Monday, June 24th, 2013: Zaad al-Hilli, Saad’s estranged brother is arrested on suspicion of arranging the professional killing of his family.
Monday, October 21st, 2013: BBC Panorama programme investigates the killings, talks to key witness Brett Martin.
Tuesday, November 5th, 2013: Police release a sketch of the biker who is a major suspect.
January, 2014: Police announce Zaad al-Hilli would not be facing any more investigation
Monday, February 17th, 2014: Police arrest Eric Devouassoux, thought to be the ‘biker’ suspect.
Friday, February 21st, 2014: Eric Devouassoux is released from police custody. He is apparently not the biker seen at the time of the crime.
Wednesday, June 4th, 2014: A former French Legionnaire, Patrice Menegaldo, commits suicide apparently because he “felt accused”.
July 2014: Police release information about Iqbal’s “secret husband and his mysteriously coincidental death.
February 2015: Police trace the biker suspect to a man from Lyon, he apparently had no connection to the attack and was in the area “by accident”, according to France Info.
Sunday, January 3rd, 2016: Michel Hecht identified as possible suspect.
Tuesday, October 11th, 2016: Véronique Denizot replaces Eric Maillaud as French Prosecutor in charge of the case
Sunday, May 21st, 2017: Zaid al-Hilli calls for High Court review.
August, 2017: Véronique Denizot announces the investigation are re-looking at all the data.
September 2017: Five years on from the murders, Zaid al-Hilli criticises the lack of progress, with French investigators stating it is the most complex case they have worked on.
October 2017: Surrey police re-visit Zaid al-Hilli to update him on the case and lines of inquiry. They inform him they will be going back to France.
February 2018: Nordahl Lelandais investigated as potential suspect.
July 2018: A lawyer representing the al-Hilli daughters says it could take another three years to get compensation from the French government’s state guarantee fund, not helped by the fact the case is unsolved.
July 2019: Denizot reactivates the investigation with a new dedicated team to trawl through data.
Friday, 4th September 2020: The body of a 70-year old man is found a few hundred metres from the murder site. He is known to be from Doussard. His car had been burnt out and he was found with two guns, investigators suspect suicide. No link to the 2012 murders has been established but suspicions remain until a full investigation has been completed.
Monday, 7th September 2020: Police announce the al-Hilli children will be re-interviewed. Denizot is quoted as saying “any slight recollection” may help advance the stale investigation.
Where is the Investigation Now?
The investigation is ongoing although has not publicly moved forward very much in the past few years. As reported, the child victims are to be re-interviewed, we are yet to hear of the outcomes of these refreshed interviews.
Investigators are still trying to trace past ownership of the antique gun, in hopes that will lead to the killer. Lines of enquiry under new prosecutor Denizot seem to be focused locally, rather than chasing down international espionage theories. She said all lines of enquiry thus far, including every theory had come to nothing.
“A local motive is the most likely, the victims were in the wrong place at the wrong time”. French prosecutor, Véronique Denizot.
The prosecutor has confirmed she sees the international theories as highly unlikely.
They have reportedly tracked the names of up to 56K+ owners of the type of gun used in the killings and are using this as a potential new suspect pool. Denizot is keen to trawl through all the data again and see what may have been missed in-between the lines, this in itself is a monumental task of over 10,000 documents and pieces of evidence.
Theories
This case is one with a great many theories, mystery swirls like the low hanging mist on surrounding mountains. From international conspiracies to local grudges a full gamut of theories has been explored and debated.
The International Agency Hit
The origins of the family and the fact Saad al-Hilli’s late father was an opponent of Saddam Hussein prompted speculation that the family had fallen foul of an Iraqi hitman. But Saddam was executed in 2006 and it’s hardly likely the al-Hilli’s held the key to any long-buried Iraqi secrets after that many years, or Iraqi hitmen were still floating about the world taking out entire families. The family lived a middle-class Home Counties life, speaking English at home and sending their children to a Church of England school.
Another ‘international theory’ is that Israeli secret service — Mossad, may have commissioned the murders. Sylvain Mollier was declared to be a “nuclear scientist”, was he engaged in pro-Iranian dealings with Saad al-Hilli? Saad, was after all, a strong critic of Israel.
The problem with this theory is Mollier was simply a welder at a factory making parts and almost certainly had no access to any secrets that would be of value. There’s no indication Saad had any interest in shady international dealings, which leads to the next theory.
The Espionage Connection
Eric Maillaud was at the centre of drumming up conspiracy theories when he announced Saad al-Hilli had in his possession at home in Claygate, Surrey, a lot more data than he needed to develop micro-satellites for weather forecasting and crop-watching — which was what his current work involved. Did a foreign power want to steal this data?
Again this seems far-fetched — for a start Saad was a diligent and capable engineer with a wide interest in the field, he may have had data unrelated to his current work but that’s not to say he could not have been researching other areas. Why would potential professional thief risk having to murder more than was necessary? And why target the al-Hilli’s whilst they were on holiday, potentially not in possession of all his alleged “material”? Surely, if this was the motive they would have been better off tracking him down to his home?
The Inheritance Dispute
As mentioned Zaid had not spoken to his brother for a year after an argument over their late father’s will. Their father was living in Spain when he died in 2011 but his estate included the £1million house in which the brothers had grown up and where Saad and his family lived. Zaid wanted Saad to sell the house so he could have his share and Saad refused. He had even changed the locks.
Zaid, whose wife Geraldine died of cancer in 2007, admits he fell out with his brother over the house but claims this was the only problem in an otherwise smooth relationship.
Though Zaid’s dry-mouthed and clipped interview in the BBC Panorama documentary (click to watch) certainly did him no favours, no connection has been made between the murders and their dispute. It seemed, the brothers were keen on handling their differences through official channels — only speaking through lawyers — would that really lead to a brutal mass-murder? The investigation has failed to find any evidence that he had commissioned the killings and Zaid has been very vocal about police wasting their time by focusing on him.
Iqbal Was the Target
Iqbal, who grew up in Sweden, had her secrets it was claimed — much was made of the “secret” husband — James Thompson. Was this a motive? Did the ex hold a bitter resentment and arrange the killing, later taking his own life through guilt?
The French have made this suggestion, but it seems implausible. Thompson & Iqbal appeared on good terms and Thompson’s sister suggests that while he was sad when Iqbal left the USA — he was not angry or vengeful.
Still, there are still lingering mysteries around Iqbal — could there be other things she was involved in? Things she had shared with Thompson as they were still secretly in contact. Fuelling the fire, Thompson’s sister did reveal that the FBI had wanted to exhume her brother’s body to investigate whether he was in-fact poisoned. However, the family refused, fully accepting that James had an unhealthy lifestyle and was in poor health when he died. If this was the only thing the investigation were able to dig up to suggest Iqbal was the main target — it does seem highly unlikely. But perhaps there were other things the investigation has failed to uncover, much has been made of Saad’s family, but what about Iqbal’s? Her mother was after all also killed.
Professional Killer
All the above theories indicate some kind of professional hit. But, aside from the slightly wild motives, there’s further evidence to suggest all the professional killing theories are unlikely;
Witnesses who saw the al-Hillis’ car said it wasn’t being followed.
No mobile phone evidence exists that they had been lured to a rendezvous. On top of the fact Zainab gave evidence the family had made the decision to drive that way on a whim.
They appeared in no hurry to get anywhere.
How would a professional killer know to lay in wait at that exact spot, if it were not a pre-arranged meeting?
The weapon used was an antique gun, hardly the most reliable weapon for a hit.
Despite reports initially suggesting the killer was adept at shooting each of the victims accurately, it later emerged he had potentially panicked and moved between the victims erratically. He also ran out of ammunition. Wouldn’t a professional hitman come prepared?
Mollier Was The Target
The al-Hillis were largely considered the target — this was made the prominent narrative after the prosecutor, Maillaud declared the crime “most definitely” had its origins in the U.K. Mollier was portrayed as the innocent victim who stumbled on to the crime scene. But could have been the other way round?
He had just arranged to take a three-year break from his own job, effectively living off his partner and her family was apparently unhappy. One suggestion is that local men, perhaps with a law-enforcement background, were asked to rough Mollier up as a warning but that the confrontation escalated and the al-Hillis were shot when they came to his aid. Critics suggest that the authorities are keen to divert the focus elsewhere because Mollier’s partner’s family are wealthy and well-connected.
Little else has been released regarding Mollier’s activities, just why he had chosen to take a break from his job is unclear, had he decided to spend more time with his new young family? Had he been any disputes at work? Was he into any criminal activities?
A couple of things might be remarkable and worth mentioning here;
Mollier’s bicycle was not considered to be suitable for the terrain he was traversing, why was he using a racing/road bike to go up a mountain given he was an experienced cyclist?
Was he going to meet someone to conduct nefarious business?
The community was especially tight-lipped around Mollier and his life. And investigators seemed to dismiss any suggestion he could have been the target. Within a few months they had closed the investigations into Mollier as the target.
One fact is indisputable, Mollier was shot more times than any of the other victims, a total of five shots made sure he was dispensed with.
Robbery Gone Wrong
There had been a number of gang-related robberies of tourists in France over the past years. Could this have been a robbery gone wrong? This theory doesn’t really fit with the gangs M.O though. There would usually be a group of robbers, not one as confirmed by Zainab. They would come equipped with an efficient weapon. Again, this theory doesn’t seem to hold much water.
Chance Encounter with Criminal Activity
This is a theory I believe hasn’t been explored enough, certainly not publicly. Could both parties have come upon some criminal activity taking or about to take place?
Were the criminals hiding out in the foliage committing some kind of deal when the victims interrupted? One killer emerged to eliminate suspects and the other criminal made off into the depths of the forest?
Or was Mollier up there to take part in something criminal? Something goes wrong, and he is shot, with the al-Hilli’s becoming unwittingly involved. Are there local drug-rings, the location is very close to the Swiss border, it stands to reason there may be some border activity amongst the criminal fraternity.
Mistaken Identity
Was the killer there lying in wait for someone else entirely? Zainab said the killer suddenly came around a corner — which would suggest they did not take much time to see exactly who they were shooting at. Was it just a case of wring place, wrong time?
An Upset Local
Had the al-Hilli’s somehow caused upset with someone in the local community? Did they encounter anyone who took an enraged dislike to them? It seems strange that they would have gotten into any kind of altercation by choice, Saad & Iqbal were known as a likeable and loving couple. But it is possible this was a hate crime, perhaps a local racist had seen them and ambushed them at the first opportunity filled with hate.
The Random Killer/Lone Psychopath
Was this someone who had a hatred for tourists or foreigners, someone who simply wanted to kill? A person who had a fascination with killing, someone who had done this before? When hunting for a murderer, the first place to look is always the victims and the why of the killing. After all, statistics say murders are committed by people who are known to the victims. But could this have been someone lying in wait, knowing sometime on that pristine summer day there would be an opportune victim who crossed their path.
The scariest option for any community is that it is a completely random murder, one committed just for the thrill. During the course of the investigation it has become more and more likely that this theory is higher on the list of possibilities than it once was.
Although police have apparently ruled out the possibility of a connection, the murder of Belgian tourist Xavier Baligant in 2011 raises some suspicions and at this point there is nothing to rule out a connection. In fact, Baligant was also shot with an unusual weapon issued to the Swiss Army — a 7.55 calibre Schmidt-Rubin K31 rifle — a model used by the Swiss Army during the Second World War.
Baligant was travelling home to Belgium and stopped to use the bathroom in the rural
rest area off the A31 near Nancy in July 2011, it was then he was shot. Like the al-Hilli’s and Mollier, Baligant was shot in the head — he was also travelling with children who were spared in the killing. The location of the killing was over five hours drive from the Annecy murders but it is not unheard of for killers to move around — it is very easy to drive across France and indeed this area of Europe. Interestingly Nancy is also located only a couple of hours from another part of the Swiss border.
Baligant’s murder is still be investigated and is still unsolved.
While it is easy to get carried away with “stranger than fiction” theories after looking at all the available information, the local theory is the one that shines through.
Other Remaining Questions & General Thoughts
Forestry Workers
Only one witness — one of the forestry workers — claims to have seen a British registered 4x4, was this a deliberate attempt to throw the investigation off? Was one of these workers involved? The vehicles would be able to get about easily without raising suspicions, it would be the ideal job to cloak criminal activity. It’s confirmed one of the workers was working alone that day. Why had the biker been told to leave? Of course, this is speculation but it would be good to understand why and if they have all been completely ruled out.
The Killer’s Escape
How did the killer leave the scene? By all accounts, Brett Martin finds the scene mere minutes after the attack. The tracks beyond Le Martinet are banned to the public, of course this doesn’t mean he didn’t use them, but he would have had to be in a vehicle able to handle the terrain (indicating a 4x4 or all-terrain vehicle) or be very capable on foot/bicycle. It stands to reason if they had left on foot the search may have found them.
Was the killer able to disguise themselves as an innocent and slip away under everyone’s noses? Did they simply make their way back down the road unnoticed and melt back into local life?
It is also only an hour or so distance to both the Italian and Swiss borders, so did the killer escape over-borders, or indeed come from across the border?
The Evidence
Because of the nature of French investigations it is not entirely clear how much evidence the police have. We know they have identified the type of weapon and possess some shell casings. The DNA found in and around the al-Hilli’s car has not been identified but it seems it might not be connected to the killer.
Is there more evidence such as fingerprints the investigators could potentially use to rule a suspect in or out? Was anything else left in the surrounding area? At this point it is unclear as to how they are ruling suspects out.
Look at all the material in one place, on the Evidence Board.
It’s clear this case is complex and the leads as winding as the mountainous roads it took place in. For now, we can only hope some small piece of evidence or a witness will come to the fore and complete the puzzle for this gruesome crime.
Many lives have been irreparably devastated, Mollier’s children were left fatherless and not least the two al-Hilli children — who deserve to know who stole their parents from them & caused what is no doubt a lifetime of trauma.
Can you help?
If you have any information or evidence that may lead to the identification of the murderer please contact Surrey Police or call Crimestoppers anonymously on (+44) 800 555 111
If you don’t feel comfortable you can also contact us on tips@unsolvednews.com, and we will pass information on to the police. You can also contact us with any case you would like to see us cover or general feedback.
Please follow me on twitter and share this newsletter with your true crime friends if you like what I do.
What are your thoughts on this case?
Let me know what you think in the comments.