Nearly 17 years after the events, a dismissal order was issued at the end of February in the investigation into the assassination of the chief of the municipal police of Chambourcy (Yvelines), the Versailles prosecutor's office said on Friday, requested by the 'AFP.
“Despite very numerous and meticulous investigations carried out, multiple avenues explored until now, the investigative elements found did not make it possible to identify the author of these facts”
, concludes this order dated February 22 that the AFP was able to consult.
The dismissal of the case is in accordance with the prosecution's requisitions last November.
The investigation did not reveal
“sufficient charges”
to incriminate the only indicted in this case, Pedro D., a 40-year-old man who shows signs of schizophrenia.
A letter signed by al-Qaeda
On the evening of March 21, 2007, Christian Maréchal, 59, was found with 18 stab wounds in his house in this wealthy town of Yvelines, while his wife attended a political meeting.
No witnesses, no trace of a break-in, no defensive wounds on the body and a DNA trace found under the victim's nails, which will lead to nothing.
And, as if to cover their tracks, the killer(s) left a farcical letter signed by al-Qaeda, justifying the murder by the French presence in Afghanistan.
The author of this missive?
A little less than two decades after the events, his identity remains unknown.
“Despite a profile which could present compatibilities with the material elements found, in particular (...) that he converted to Islam”
, nothing links this letter to Pedro D., summarizes the investigating judge in his order.
This long investigation with rare clues and thin leads is therefore coming to an end, unless new charges lead to the reopening of the judicial investigation.
“We regret that the judicial investigation was brought to an end
,” reacted for AFP Me Fanny Colin, who represents the Maréchal family, civil party.
For the lawyer of the deceased's relatives, however, the matter is not over.
“The Maréchal family is determined to continue the search for the truth and will request that the file be transmitted to the “cold cases” center
in Nanterre, she specifies, so that the investigation can be carried out by this specialized, dedicated jurisdiction. unsolved cases and serial crimes.