The day after the discovery in Paris of the corpse of Xiatong Lin, the emotion is strong in the very chic rue de la Pompe (XVI). This young man of Chinese nationality, aged 25, was found dead on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, tied up and strangled, at his home on the fifth floor of this building located near Place Victor-Hugo.
On its blue door, the investigators of the Paris criminal brigade have posted the traditional seal indicating that a “murder and aggravated theft” were committed in these places. Louis Vuitton sneakers, an umbrella and a box testify on the threshold to the fact that this accommodation was still occupied on Monday evening by this young man.
According to the first elements collected by the police, he had no family in France and he was totally unknown to the archives of the police. “He’s been living there for three or four months,” notes a local resident. I don’t know if he was a student or if he was working. He was very discreet. And what I can tell you is that he ordered all his meals outside because we passed Deliveroo delivery men on the stairs every evening. »
“There are a lot of burglaries here”
It was its owner, the producer of advertising film and interior designer, Laure Merveille who made this macabre discovery around 2:30 p.m. before informing the police. This 66-year-old woman lives in the apartment opposite. Following water damage, she wanted to enter this accommodation with workers. “As she could not reach her tenant, she entered the apartment and she found the body of her tenant, lifeless and lying on his stomach, on a bed in the living room. “His feet and hands were bound with plastic collars and he was gagged with tape affixed to his mouth,” said another source familiar with the matter. The medical examiner noted traces of strangulation as well as numerous traces of blows on the body.
Met this Wednesday, May 17 in the corridors of their building, Laure Merveille and her husband, very tense, do not wish to comment. “We are going to testify to the judicial police”, loose the husband visibly embarrassed by this story and not wishing to expand on the case. Soon after this first phone call, officials from the crime squad arrived in large numbers. They interviewed the neighborhood and noted the traces and clues at the crime scene. “They stayed until 8 p.m. There were a lot of people. But they did not seal off the street, recalls an incredulous resident. It’s still incredible that such a thing happened here. Other residents note that the 16th arrondissement, despite its beautiful buildings, is a sensitive area. “There are a lot of burglaries here. »
The door was closed and not broken
The work of the investigators has barely begun and the mystery still hangs over Xiatong’s death. In the early evening, the body of the young man was taken to the forensic institute. The prosecution ordered that an autopsy be performed this Wednesday, May 17 to determine the exact causes of death. The front door of his apartment is intact and had been slammed by the murderer after he left. The continuation of the investigations should make it possible to understand if this mysterious aggressor was a relative of the victim or if it is about a bad meeting during a burglary.
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