The Con Man Who Tried to Kill His Millionaire Mother | Alexandre Despallières Story

A French man who allegedly defrauded multiple victims, including a music executive who later died from a suspected overdose, was the subject of a recent investigative report. Alexandre Despallières, also known as Alex Becker, built a life on deception, assuming various identities and exploiting the generosity of others, according to a France Télévisions report broadcast on March 1st, 2026.

Despallières’s early life included a failed attempt at a music career, releasing two singles, “L’Amour à mort” and “D’une manière ou d’une autre,” neither of which achieved success. He then moved through a series of roles, including posing as a gigolo in cities like Paris, Sydney, and London, before his parents’ deaths left him a compact inheritance which he quickly spent in Los Angeles.

In Los Angeles, Despallières reinvented himself as an orphaned heir with a fortune, taking up residence at the Beverly Hills Hotel. This persona attracted the attention of Marcelle Becker, a wealthy widow who had recently lost her son to suicide. Despallières, according to journalist Gaspard Dhellemmes, “made a whole show of playing the orphan: ‘I just lost my parents, I’m devastated…’” Becker took Despallières under her wing, providing him with a luxurious lifestyle and eventually adopting him, legally changing his name to Alexander Becker.

However, Becker’s trust was soon eroded by suspicions about Despallières’s motives. She reportedly told FBI investigators that he had attempted to poison her in order to inherit her wealth. She ultimately abandoned the adoption. Despite this, Despallières, now with a U.S. Residency and the gifts Becker had bestowed upon him, continued to present a façade of success, rebranding himself as a tech investor.

The investigation into Despallières’s past was spurred by the 2008 death of Peter Ikin, a music producer and former vice-president of Warner, who had been found dead in a Paris hotel room after spending time with Despallières. Ikin, who had a reported net worth of over 20 million euros, died from a massive overdose of paracetamol. The circumstances surrounding Ikin’s death led police to open a murder investigation, with Despallières becoming the primary suspect. The Franceinfo report notes that without Ikin’s death, Despallières may never have faced legal scrutiny.

Despallières died in Paris on January 26, 2022, at the age of 53, while under investigation for Ikin’s death. The case, as highlighted in the “Affaires Sensibles” report, illustrates a pattern of manipulation and deceit that spanned decades and multiple continents.