Murder in Riom: 7,200 pages of investigation at the heart of the Fernandes-Chatard trial
The trial of Sophie Fernandes de Sousa and Didier Chatard, accused of the murder of Stéphane Ragon in 2022, is being held in Riom. A commander of the criminal investigation department in Clermont-Ferrand detailed the criminal investigation.
Murder of Stéphane Ragon: the criminal investigation commander retraces a lengthy investigation from the witness stand
On the second day of the trial, Tuesday, the court of assise in Riom heard for several hours the commander in charge of the investigation into the murder of Stéphane Ragon, killed on 29 July 2022. According to lepopulaire.fr, the officer, head of group at the criminal investigation brigade of the judicial police (PJ) in Clermont-Ferrand, retraced without notes the entirety of the criminal procedure, from the first hours of investigation until the closure of the case file.
Sophie Fernandes de Sousa and Didier Chatard are on trial for murder with premeditation, as well as for attempted poisoning committed between 1 January and 28 July 2022 against the victim.
From the moment the body was discovered, the theory of a burglary gone wrong had emerged as the first hypothesis. Sophie Fernandes de Sousa, present at the scene that day, immediately mentioned the disappearance of valuable objects and an envelope containing 3,000 euros.
It was in the course of investigations that the direction of the enquiry evolved, ultimately leading to a file of 7,200 pages combining technical analyses and in-depth scientific expertise. The task imposed on the officer — retracing without any written support the course of a procedure sometimes spanning several years — remains, by his own admission, an exercise that is never routine, even for someone accustomed to the court of assise of Puy-de-Dôme.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)