the essential
Taha O., main suspect in the murder of Philippine, this 19-year-old student whose body was discovered buried in the Bois de Boulogne, confessed on Wednesday December 18. Although he described his act as “monstrous”, he told investigators that he had no memory of the events.
Main suspect in the murder case of Philippine, this 19-year-old student found dead in the Bois de Boulogne last December, Taha O., 22, confessed on Wednesday, reports The Parisian.
ud83dudd35 LP INFO | The confessions of Taha O., main suspect in the murder of Philippine in Paris
The 22-year-old Moroccan admitted for the first time to having killed the 19-year-old student in September, but says he is unable to remember the circumstances
u27a1ufe0f https://t.co/kL6IRMZaEu pic.twitter.com/WXx5oKpFT9— Le Parisien (@le_Parisien) https://twitter.com/le_Parisien/status/1869738769831608771?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Interviewed at length at the Paris judicial court, this national of Moroccan origin admitted that his actions were “monstrous”, but assured that he had no memory of the facts. He simply admitted that the accumulated evidence was sufficient to confirm his involvement in the murder.
Arrested in Switzerland, Taha O. was indicted for “murder accompanied by another crime” and “repeat rape”.
“Intelligent and full of life”
The murder of Philippine, a 19-year-old student described by those close to her as “intelligent and full of life”, had sparked immense emotion in France and also a virulent public debate.
Taha O. was in fact under an obligation to leave the territory (OQTF), which provoked strong reactions, in particular from the far right. After this murder and the arrest of the suspect, the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau urged “to develop (the) legal arsenal”.
On September 26, President Macron expressed “the emotion of the entire Nation” after a “heinous crime”, and considered that it was necessary “to better protect the French every day”
