Paris murder case baffles as suspects are identical twins with same DNA
Defence lawyer claims it is impossible to determine who fired fatal gunshots
The twins are two of five on trial for several offences including a double murder
romakhan3595/Shutterstock
A double murder trial involving a pair of identical twins in the Parisian suburbs has reached a bizarre legal quagmire, as DNA of one person found on a murder weapon is a complete match with two suspects.
Samuel and Jérémy Y, 33, are two of five people currently standing trial for a series of offences at Bobigny (Seine-Saint-Denis) court, which included the killings of two young men aged 17 and 25, at Saint-Ouen in 2020.
The pair are monozygotic twins, meaning they developed from the same fertilised egg and therefore have identical DNA.
Forensic experts have concluded that only one person’s DNA was on the gun used in the double-murder in September 2020 but are unable to determine which of the twins it belongs to as it is an exact match to both.
Some costly advanced genetic testing techniques do exist that can help tell identical twins apart, but experts believe the amount of blood available is insufficient to use these, so the estimated €60,000 cost may not be justified.
Twins’ identical look confuses prosecutors
“According to the investigator from the criminal investigation unit, only their mother can tell them apart,” one of the lawyers for Samuel told media outlet M6.
“If they were wearing the same clothes, I would be completely unable to tell them apart,” said Marie-Pompei Cullin, a lawyer for Jérémy.
“We cannot currently determine each man’s actual role”, she added.
In addition to the confusion caused by the DNA issue, the brothers, who both assert their innocence, are stated by the police to frequently share clothes and even make use of the same phone numbers and ID documents.
Due to this and their resemblance, CCTV footage has also proved insufficient to place the charge on one single individual, as no one can be certain which of the two brothers is identified in the evidence.
This has reinforced concerns that any murder conviction would be difficult to establish in the absence of precise DNA evidence.
Prosecutors have been resorting to other methods including phone tracing, interviews, and wire tapping to see if they can confirm without DNA evidence who fired the gun.
A similar case in 2013 saw a pair of identical twins in Marseille on trial for rape acquitted as prosecutors were unable to trace DNA found at the scene back to a single individual.
The verdict for the Bobigny trial is expected on February 26. The offences also include a gang shooting that injured six in October 2020.
