Macabre twist in the sordid murder of a homeless man in Lyon with a cinder block: after a manhunt, the alleged suspect has just been arrested in Toulon. But the revelations are only just beginning: the man, an illegal Cameroonian migrant, is also wanted for a series of other murders committed in several cities in France…
It was a news item of rare violence that shook the city of Lyon this weekend. On Saturday morning, a homeless man of Moldovan nationality was found dead, his head smashed with a cinder block. An act of incredible brutality which aroused emotion and indignation. But the horror does not stop there: the alleged murderer, actively sought since, is also suspected of having attacked another homeless person a few days earlier… 800 kilometers away, in Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
According to our information, investigators managed to identify the suspect thanks to video surveillance images from the Maritime Museum in Rotterdam, where an individual threw a concrete slab on the head of a sleeping homeless person last Tuesday. A procedure sadly similar to that used in Lyon. The 37-year-old Dutch victim, seriously injured, is still in critical condition.
A hunt that ends in Toulon
But the outcome of this sinister affair may be near. This evening, according to consistent sources, a man matching the description of the alleged murderer was arrested on a train in Toulon by the police. It would be a Cameroonian illegal migrant aged 37, who presented himself under the identity of Levis Ekini – an identity which, however, remains to be verified in the absence of documents.
But the most disturbing revelations are yet to come. Because in addition to the murders in Lyon and Rotterdam, the individual would be the subject of an arrest warrant for a series of other homicides committed in Évry, Strasbourg and Dijon in recent months. Here again, the victims would be homeless people.
A serial killer profile?
If this information were to be confirmed, it is therefore potentially a real serial killer of homeless people that the investigators would be dealing with. A rare and particularly worrying criminal profile, which targets an already very vulnerable and marginalized population.
However, many gray areas remain at this stage. What are the motivations of this alleged murderer? Are his identity and nationality proven? How many victims did he actually cause? And above all, did he act alone or with accomplices?
A threat to the most deprived
One thing is certain, these heinous crimes highlight the great precariousness and insecurity that homeless people face on a daily basis. Often invisible, on the margins of society, they are easy prey for predators and the unbalanced of all kinds.
Beyond the emotion and indignation aroused by these tragic events, it is urgent that measures be taken to better protect this vulnerable population. Strengthening patrols, emergency accommodation and better support are more necessary than ever. Just like a relentless fight against great insecurity, the breeding ground of all violence.
In the meantime, investigators will have to unravel the tangle of this extraordinary affair and try to shed light on the criminal journey of this suspect, so that the victims can finally obtain justice. And so that never again, amid general indifference, men and women die in the street at the hands of a homeless killer.
However, many gray areas remain at this stage. What are the motivations of this alleged murderer? Are his identity and nationality proven? How many victims did he actually cause? And above all, did he act alone or with accomplices?
A threat to the most deprived
One thing is certain, these heinous crimes highlight the great precariousness and insecurity that homeless people face on a daily basis. Often invisible, on the margins of society, they are easy prey for predators and the unbalanced of all kinds.
Beyond the emotion and indignation aroused by these tragic events, it is urgent that measures be taken to better protect this vulnerable population. Strengthening patrols, emergency accommodation and better support are more necessary than ever. Just like a relentless fight against great insecurity, the breeding ground of all violence.
In the meantime, investigators will have to unravel the tangle of this extraordinary affair and try to shed light on the criminal journey of this suspect, so that the victims can finally obtain justice. And so that never again, amid general indifference, men and women die in the street at the hands of a homeless killer.
