Police in Paris, France, have arrested a homeless Tunisian migrant accused of killing four men whose bodies were later found in the Seine River. The case began on August 13, when a commuter spotted a corpse floating in the river. Investigators subsequently recovered three more bodies from the same stretch of water.
Autopsies confirmed all four victims were men. At least two had been strangled, though forensic experts could not determine the exact cause of death for the others, according to The Times. Police are investigating the four deaths as homicides.
Prosecutors noted that two victims were found partially clothed. All four bodies had been dumped along the riverbank in Choisy-le-Roi, a Paris suburb known as a cruising spot for gay men.
The victims were identified as Franz, 48, whose family reported him missing on August 11; Sami, 21, an Algerian reported missing by his estranged wife on August 7; Abdellah, 21, who vanished on July 26; and Amir, 26, a Tunisian who disappeared on July 31.
The suspect initially claimed to be Algerian, but investigators say he provided a false identity. They later determined he was a homeless Tunisian migrant in his early 20s known as “Monji.”
According to The Times, Monji has refused to answer questions about the killings. However, detectives say Franz’s DNA was found on his trousers, and that he used two SIM cards and a debit card belonging to other victims shortly after their disappearances.
Investigators believe Monji killed Franz and Sami after having sex with them. Friends confirmed Franz was gay, while detectives said Sami’s sexual orientation may have played a role in his death.
Police suspect Monji was motivated by shame over his sexuality, which conflicted with his Muslim faith. An acquaintance told investigators he had recently shown a “new religious fervor” and criticized friends for “not praying enough.”
Police said Abdellah and Amir shared a squat with Monji in Choisy-le-Roi. It remains unclear whether they were romantically involved with him or were killed for another motive.
The case has alarmed France’s LGBTQ community, already facing a rise in attacks. The Interior Ministry reported hate crimes against LGBTQ people rose 7% last year, following a 4% increase the year before.
“We cannot ignore the homophobic dimension which is already evident in this case,” said Terrence Khatchadourian, general secretary of the LGBTQ advocacy group Stop Homophobie.
Étienne Deshoulières, a lawyer for Stop Homophobie, said: “This is not an ordinary crime but the manifestation of systemic violence targeting gay men.”
James Lantz, a 64-year-old gay man with terminal cancer -- known online as the "Angry Gay Grandpa" -- has been ordered to pay $16,575 in damages and a $200 fine after gluing his hand to a railing in the Pennsylvania State Capitol last year to protest anti-transgender lawmakers. The Burlington, Vermont, resident was initially charged with two felonies -- institutional vandalism and criminal mischief -- along with a misdemeanor offense.
Lantz later accepted a plea deal in which prosecutors reduced the vandalism charge to a misdemeanor. In exchange, he pleaded guilty to criminal mischief, agreed to pay restitution for damage to the railing and nearby seating in the State Senate’s visitors’ gallery, and will serve a year on probation, according to PennLive.
"Government should either be about making your life better or leaving you the fuck alone," says Malcolm Kenyatta, vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. "That's why I keep talking about making life better, because it keeps what should be our main message at the forefront of our work."
Last month, the openly gay Pennsylvania state representative was re-elected as vice chair with near-unanimous support during a "re-vote" imposed by Democratic leaders. They claimed that his initial election to the position -- along with David Hogg, a nationally known survivor of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida -- was influenced by factors that unfairly disadvantaged female candidates.
Owners of several D.C. LGBTQ bars and nightclubs say the federal takeover of the city’s police force -- and the surge of federal agents stationed on 14th Street NW and along the U Street corridor -- cost them thousands of dollars in lost business this past weekend.
Mark Rutstein, co-owner of Crush Dance Bar at 14th and U Streets NW, told CBS affiliate WUSA that August 15 was the worst Friday the bar has seen since opening last year. He estimated losses to be approximately $15,000 for the night.
Rutstein told The Advocate that Crush sat near a multi-agency checkpoint, including agents from the Department of Homeland Security, set up on Wednesday evening. Authorities reportedly made 45 arrests, 29 of them immigration-related.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.