Because of the “uproar” of the music festival, Sabrina “heard nothing” of the drama which took place that night on the ground floor of the social hotel on rue Keller (11th), in which she lives. The body of the 64-year-old guard, whose hands and feet were tied up, was found in his dressing room during the night from Friday to Saturday. “Who could blame Manu? I don’t understand. He was super nice and helpful,” laments the shaken tenant.
The idea of a kidnapping which turned into a tragedy would be favored. Around 11:30 p.m., a police patrol discovered a safe tied to a hand truck and abandoned on the road opposite a self-service bicycle station at rue Keller (11th arrondissement) in a festive district of Bastille. The manager of the “Nouvelle France” social hotel, located right next door, arrives on site. It’s his trunk. We just tried to steal from him. And the goalkeeper? Where is he ? The boss leads the civil servants to his dressing room. And there, on the bed, is Manu’s corpse. His hands are tied with rope. His feet are tied with electric cables. He took a beating, as the numerous bruises on his body suggest.
The victim was a neighborhood figure
There is a lot of disorder in Manu’s dressing room. The entire crime scene was sprayed with a chemical to remove all traces. The trail of kidnapping which turned into a tragedy was quickly favored by the investigators. Because the attackers, despite the hoods they wore, were not discreet at all. They were seen around 9:30 p.m. carrying the hotel safe to a van. They would not have managed to load their loot inside the van. They therefore fled without their loot before abandoning their vehicle at Place de la Nation. It was also found around 11:25 p.m., empty, while the engine was still running.
About two weeks ago, according to another police source, thieves had already tried in vain to steal the safe by posing as delivery men. Manu had apparently intervened. With his lame leg, inherited from a “motorcycle accident”, and his “a bit mythical but very nice” side, this guard was a figure in the neighborhood in which he had lived for “at least fifteen years”, according to neighbors. His autopsy must take place this Saturday at the Forensic Institute located on Quai de la Râpée in Paris (12th century).
“Strained relations” with the occupants of the hotel
A flagrant investigation into murder and organized theft was opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office. The public prosecutor entrusted her to the second judicial police district. “Investigations are underway to determine the circumstances of the death of this person and the course of the events,” indicates the prosecution. The investigators will have to look into the affairs of this hotel which does not really enjoy a good reputation. The manager of a neighboring establishment in any case describes “strained relations” with the occupants.
“In this hotel, there are people with big problems,” says the manager of a café located on rue de la Roquette. The police intervene there at least once a month. Last time it was because someone was throwing their feces out the window. » This Saturday noon, no one had yet been arrested in connection with this affair.
