Court Reviews Omar Raddad Case: New DNA Evidence in Infamous French Murder Trial

The Omar Raddad case is one of the most famous criminal cases in France. Designated thirty years ago as the perpetrator of the murder of the wealthy heiress Ghislaine Marchal, because of the message "Omar m’a tuer" (Omar killed me), written in the victim’s blood, the Moroccan gardener bases his defense on new analyzes of DNA found on two doors and a beam at the crime scene, reports franceinfo.

According to Sylvie Noachovitch, who is defending the gardener, "none of the four genetic fingerprints match Omar". Last June, she had stated that two DNA samples are perfectly exploitable and two others partially. "These genetic traces could have been deposited by the author of the inscription, who would then not be the victim but potentially the real murderer," estimates Maître Noachovitch, who hopes for additional research within the victim’s family.

In 1994, when the Moroccan gardener was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the murder of his employer and wealthy heiress, Omar Raddad had no possibility of appeal. But four years later, he benefited from a presidential pardon from President Chirac and then a conditional release.

In 2002, he made a first request for a review of his case, which was rejected. But today, with new elements, he has obtained the possibility of perhaps proving that he was right to proclaim his innocence for thirty years.