When an entire family is nearly annihilated while camping in the French Alps, it takes a team of international detectives to search for an elusive killer. Questions about the victims’ backgrounds swirl and rumors about who the gunman could be abound. This is Part One of a two-part series detailing the 2012 Lake Annecy murders in France.
Saad Al-Hilli (Photo Source) Evening Standard
Iqbal Al-Hilli (Photo Source) Daily Mail
Zaid Al-Hilli (Photo Source) The Independen
Crime scene aerial photo (Source) Evening Standard
Crime scene aerial photo (Source) The Independent
Location of where Al-Hilli’s camper was left on the day of the crime (Source) Evening Standard
French prosecutor, Eric Maillaud speaking to the international press (Source) Evening Standard
Lake Annecy, France Image (Source) Ile de la Comtesse Website
Lake Annecy France Map (Source) Google Maps
Episode Source Material
- Channel 4: Murder in the Alps. Episodes 1-3 via channel4.com under private registration.
- HuffPost: French Alps Shooting: Cyclist Killed In British Car Shooting Named As Father-Of-Three Sylvain Mollier. By Jessica Elgot.
- Evening Standard: French Alps killings ‘may have been perfect crime.’ By Peter Allen via newspapers.com
- HuffPost: French Alps Shooting: Police Should Have Checked For Survivors At Crime Scene, Say Forensic Experts.By The Huffington Post UK.
- Ledauphine Libere: Prosecutor describes “murder of unheard-of savagery. By Stéphane Bouchet.
- Evening Standard: Orphaned by Alps Assassin. By Peter Allen and Kiran Randhawa Via newspapers.com. (1)
- Evening Standard: Orphaned by Alps Assassin. By Peter Allen and Kiran Randhawa Via newspapers.com. (2)
- The Daily Telegraph: Hunt for motorcyclist and driver of green 4X4 seen speeding towards scene. By Victoria Ward and Martin Evans Via newspapers.com
- Independent: The massacre in the Alps. By John Lichfield.
- The Akron Beacon Journal: Police Search UK home of couple slain in France via newspapers.com
- Sunday Telegraph: Alps family killed with gun used by Swiss army. By Harriet Alexander and Jason Lewis Via newspapers.com.
- Sunday Telegraph: We will never know why they died. By staff Via newspapers.com.
- The Independent: How the Lay-By Murder Inquiry Hit A Dead End. By John Litchfield Via newspapers.com
- Evening Standard: Alps massacre family ‘shot dead by Balkan mercenary for £1,680’. By Peter Allen via newspapers.com
- National Post: Paid hit probed in murder of family via newspapers.com
- Evening Standard: Voice tapes studied in hunt for Alps killer. By Peter Allen Via newspapers.com.
- The Ottawa Citizen: Alpine Massacre victim, brother torn by hatred. By Henry Samuel via newspapers.com
- Evening Standard: Aunt to raise Alps shooting orphans via newspapers.com
- Evening Standard: No charges for brother in Alps murder. By Kiran Randhawa via newspapers.com
- The Independent: As his brother is freed without charge, will we ever know who killed Saad al-Hilli. By John Lichfield via newspapers.com
- Evening Standard: Man arrested in Alps murder case. By Justin Davenport and Peter Allen via newspapers.com (1)
- Evening Standard: Man arrested in Alps murder case. By Justin Davenport and Peter Allen via newspapers.com (2)
- The Independent: Breakthrough in Alps murder case as former policeman is arrested near scene via newspapers.com
- Evening Standard: Alps murders: Police prepare to make more arrests within days via newspapers.com
- The Independent: Alps murders are ‘not solved,” says prosecutors as second man is held via newspapers.com
- The Independent: Murder mystery’s unwelcome twist. By John Lichfield via newspapers.com (1)
- The Independent: Murder mystery’s unwelcome twist. By John Lichfield via newspapers.com (2)
- Sunday Telegraph: DNA clue in hunt for Alps killer. By Peter Allen Via newspapers.com.
- Evening Standard: Ex-soldier who said he was Alps murder suspect is found dead. By Peter Allen via newspapers.com.
- Independent: DNA find gives French Police new lead into Britons’ murders. By John Lichfield via newspapers.com.
- BBC: Alps murder victims’ children to be re-interviewed. By The BBC.
- Sky News: French businessman is alleged leader of hit squad investigated over shooting of British family in the Alps
- Radio Times: Murder in the Alps revisits true crime 10 years later. By Kathryn Knight.
- Daily Mail: Orphaned British schoolgirl whose parents were shot dead in the Alps 10 years ago reveals new details about killer as detectives ‘investigate THREE new suspects. By Peter Allen.
- Mirror: Murder in the Alps chilling theory of what really happened in Brit family’s unsolved massacre. By Tom Parry and Saffron Otter.
- Mirror: Alps massacre suspect is mystery biker seen riding away after Brit family killed. By Peter Allen.
- The Guardian: French cold case unit orders DNA tests in unsolved alps murders via newspapers.com
- The Sun: Brother of Brit shot dead with family in Alps accuses French cops of ‘cover up’ as new DNA evidence could crack case. By Sayan Bose.
- ITV News: Reconstruction to be staged 12 years after murder of British family in the Alps. By Zahra Manji.
- Tom Parry – Journalist: Books (website).
- Claygate Village in Surrey (website).
- PBS: Saddam Hussein | The Dictator’s Playbook (website).
- Le Parisien: The French entrepreneur, the English mountain biker and Mr. X: the last secrets of the Chevaline Massacre. By Ronan Folgoas, Jeremie Pham-Le and Jean-Michel Decugis.
- Le Parisien: Chevaline massacre: September 5, 2012, the last hours of the Al-hilli family. By Ronan Folgoas and Jean-Michel Decugis.
- Le Parisien: Chevaline’s Killing: in the wheel of witness number 1. By Ronan Folgoas and Jean-Michel Decugis.
- Le Parisien: Chevaline’s Killing: anatomy of a crime scene. By Ronan Folgoas and Jean-Michel Decugis.
- Le Parisien: Chevaline’s Killing: the murder weapon, the investigator’s common thread. By Ronan Folgoas and Jean-Michel Decugis.
- Le Parisien: Chevaline’s Killing: the shadow of Brother Al-Hilli. By Ronan Folgoas and Marie Boeda.
- Le Parisien: Chevaline’s Killing: Sylvain Mollier, the forgotten victim. By Ronan Folgoas and Jean-Michel Decugis.
- Le Parisien: Chevaline’s Killing: the man with the white motorcycle, suspended suspect. By Ronan Folgoas and Jean-Michel Decugis.
- Le Parisien: Chevaline’s massacre: a British profiler drew a psychological robot portrait of the killer. By Jeremie Pham-Le, Ronan Folgoas, and Jean-Michel Decugis.
- Le Parisien: Chevaline case: the trail of the weapon of crime relaunched by the “cold case” pole. By Ronan Folgoas and Vincent Gautronneau.
- Le Parisien: Chevaline’s killing: twelve years after the quadruple murder, where is the investigation? By Manon Aublanc.
- Le Parisien: Chevaline massacre: why justice organizes a “resentment in situation”, 12 years later. By Ronan Folgoas and Vincent Gautronneau.
- Le Parisien: Chevaline’s massacre: the trail of a special forces soldier who would have “swrung” By Ronan Rolgoas and Damien Delseny.
- Le Parisien: Chevaline killing: did the murderer also shot Xavier Baligant on the A31 a year earlier? By Ronan Rolgoas and Damien Delseny.
- Le Parisien: Chevalin’s Killing: “The surviving girls could not give a precise physical description of the shooter” By Damien Delseny.
- Daily Observer: Benedict Cumberbatch to executive produce limited series on unsolved Annecy murders. By staff.