Less than eleven hours after the departure of the fire brigade, a suspect was arrested, Thursday, May 21, in the case of the fire which ended in a death, on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, rue de Sours , in Chartres.
Dead man in building fire in Chartres
The information given by two witnesses quickly guided the investigators. They already suspected intentional homicide since the victim, a 50-year-old man, had been discovered unconscious, locked in the toilets of this disused building, used, until 2016, by Pôle Emploi.
“The bathroom door was condemned from the outside,” said the deputy public prosecutor yesterday. “This is an argument between two homeless men. “
One-legged
Arguing that went wrong. The suspect “partially acknowledged the facts”. If he confirmed the altercation and the confinement in the toilet, he denies, on the other hand, having deliberately caused the fire, according to the vice-prosecutor. “He just admits that he lit a cigarette and threw it on the ground without wanting to set fire. “
This building has long been used by Pôle Emploi services.
He was brought before the Public Prosecutor’s Office to appear before an investigating judge for the qualification of murder, arson and forcible confinement. Charged, he was placed in pre-trial detention.
The two protagonists of this affair are two homeless people. The victim had been found still alive by the firefighters. After transporting the body outside this imposing two-story building with multiple offices, they failed to save the man. Handicapped, the latter was one-legged and moved in a wheelchair.
Already convicted of rape in 2012
The alleged perpetrator is 28 years old. He was already convicted by the Assize Court of Eure-et-Loir in 2012 for a rape case, which had resulted in him being imprisoned for twelve years before sentencing.
Investigation and expertise will continue, in particular to determine the precise origin of the fire and the mental state of the alleged perpetrator. An autopsy of the victim’s body will be performed next week.
Emmanuel Brun
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