Lilian Dejean, 49, was killed by a gunshot to the chest.
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A man suspected of having killed a municipal agent two and a half months ago in the center of Grenoble was arrested Thursday in northern Portugal, where he had been hiding since the murder.
“A 25-year-old man who was the subject of a European arrest warrant following the murder” of Lilian Dejean, was “arrested Thursday in Póvoa de Lanhoso, a municipality in the Braga region (north)” , indicated the Portuguese police in a press release.
The man, who has a “history of violent crimes (…) took refuge in the north of Portugal after the events”. He was located and arrested with the help of the French police and will be presented to a magistrate with a view to his extradition, according to the same source.
“It’s the end of a nightmare and the beginning of a long legal journey,” lawyer Romain Ruiz, who represents Lilian Dejean’s family, responded to AFP.
Huge emotion
This 49-year-old cleaning agent was shot in the chest early on Sunday, September 8, while he was trying to prevent a man from fleeing who had caused a traffic accident while driving a powerful car. rental registered in Poland.
The father died shortly after in hospital. His death aroused immense emotion among his colleagues and residents, who paid him vibrant tributes the day after the murder, then during a white march. He was then buried in Guadeloupe.
A judicial investigation had been opened in particular for “murder of a person entrusted with a public service mission”.
The identity papers of the suspect, named Abdoul Diallo and residing in Saint-Martin-d'Hères in the suburbs of Grenoble, were found in the abandoned car, a large engine rented in his name.
This man was already known to the courts, in particular for “theft, violence and drug trafficking”, and for having beaten, with five fellow prisoners, another prisoner at the Varces remand center (Isère) in June 2023.
“Justice can be done”
Tried in August 2023 for these facts, he received a four-month prison sentence accompanied by a ban on possessing a weapon for five years. A week after his return to prison, he was involved in further violence for which he was to be tried on October 3.
According to Grenoble public prosecutor Eric Vaillant, the suspect was able to be arrested “thanks to the investigations carried out by French police officers” from the organized and specialized crime divisions of Lyon and Grenoble, and “thanks to police cooperation and European judicial system.
He will hold a press conference on Friday with these investigators.
“The alleged murderer of our municipal agent Lilian Dejean has just been arrested in Portugal,” greeted the environmentalist mayor of Grenoble Eric Piolle on X. “Today I have a thought for Lilian’s family, whom I met several times: justice can be done to them,” he added.
Moments of despondency
Since September 8, his loved ones have “experienced moments of doubt and despondency,” their lawyer said. “But they never imagined that we would not arrest him” and “never questioned the work of the justice system and the police.”
“Today they are relieved, because they have a prospect of obtaining explanations,” continued Mr. Ruiz.
Since the start of the year, the metropolis of Grenoble has experienced renewed tension, with the judicial authorities no longer hesitating to speak of “gang war”. At the end of October, the prosecutor counted around fifty gunshots linked to drug trafficking since the start of 2024, which left six dead.
(afp)
