A former soldier in the French Foreign Legion has been identified as the chief suspect in the 2012 murders of a British family in the Alps, according to a new book about the unsolved crime, reports The Guardian.
Patrice Menegaldo, who killed himself last June, was interviewed as a witness after the shootings of Saad al-Hilli, his wife Iqbal, mother-in-law Suhaila and French cyclist Sylvain Mollier.
Investigators are looking into Menegaldo’s movements because he exactly fits the profile of the professional hitman believed to be behind the killings.
In an interview for the Daily Mirror book 'The Perfect Crime', state prosecutor Eric Maillaud said Menelgado was “at the top of the chain” for detectives, who have been hunting for the assassin on both sides of the channel.
Iraqi-born satellite engineer Hilli and the other victims were shot at point-blank range on a forest road in Chevaline in September 2012. The family’s bodies were discovered in their BMW car, while the body of local cyclist Mollier, a father of three, was found nearby.
Hilli’s two young daughters survived the attack – the eldest, Zainab, seven, was pistol-whipped, which police believe was a result of the killer running out of ammunition. Her sister Zeena, four, hid under her mother’s skirt.
Maillaud said Menegaldo was acquainted with Mollier’s partner, Claire Schutz. The suspect and the victim were from the nearby town of Ugine. “The hypothesis at the top of the chain for investigators is a local killing. We have a real suspect. I am referring to the Legionnaire from Ugine,” he said. “Here is a middle-aged man who kills himself and to explain this leaves a letter saying he couldn’t handle being considered a suspect.”