Cold Case Review of Sophie Tuscan du Plantier murder to proceed. **Threadbans in OP**

Yeh I agree, it's definitely not an axe, I meant more like a small hatchet shape, but it wouldn't have a thin handle as you say. It could be some form of fire hook, or a more elaborate type of poker. In any case just given that Josie said a poker was missing, I though it maybe shows a change in what was there between the time period of the video and the murder (probably a couple of years, but since Sophie didn't visit too often there probably wasn't much turnover of fireplace tools.

We can't really rule anything out, as we basically have nothing.

However I doubt that the motive was sexual in the sense of having casual sex that evening or that morning, or the motive was rape. It's also possible that there was a randomness to it, someobody she met in the pub, followed her home, or that German musician.

The motive could have been sexual in the sense of jelousy and about a former lover who couldn't have her. This theory would bring Bruno into the picture, but maybe somebody else in France?

What could potentially also point to a professional hit, making it look as unprofessional as possible is the total absence of DNA evidence of the killer. ( that is if the police was so incompetent that they didn't gather anything at all….?) Make it look as unprofessional and spur of the moment as possible, but leave no traces could have been the idea of the killer here.

Looking at all the characters in question and their financial state of affairs:

The Ungerers were most likely well settled, no motive at all, just friendship with Sophie. Creative background included.

Alfie was probably getting by financially, did some lighter drugs himself, grew something, but I don't think he would have done something big in the drug business.

Bolger did something bigger in terms of drugs, but financially he didn't make a lot as well, otherwise his lifestyle would have shown it. He certainly didn't want to go to jail, so that could have been a motive for murder as well?

Daniel had by far the biggest financial gain and motive, he was influential in France and hat many contacts in France. Most likely influential enough to fend off possible inconvenient questions about his bank accounts and state of affairs by the police authorities. Apparently Sophie would have been entitled to half of his estate, instead he gotten the financial pay out of the life insurance and the "unwanted wife" was conveniently gone, plus in any murder case the spouse is always the biggest likelyhood among all supspects.

Daniel had by far the biggest motive. Not only did he keep all that was his, he also gotten a financial gain. Daniel was also the only one who kept himself far away from the reaches of the Irish police authorities, - they couldn't reach him and question or cross examine him.

The visit to France in the recent cold case investigation was about one of Daniel's friends.

The chair or both chairs by the window are interesting, and so is the position of the table and the flowers in that vase. To me, taking a look at the picture it would look like she was sitting on one chair, and having the feet up on the chair oposite. Suppose there was a 2nd person sitting in the other chair, the vase on the table would have been a bit too close for comfort, and easily knocked over by anybody tring to squeeze by and sitting down?

I may be totally wrong here, but the way it looks to me, is that she simply had her feet up and was reading something, light would have shone on the book, beside the window. If someone was sitting across from her, the gap between the table and the chair would have been wider and the vase would most certainly not have been at the corner of the table? But these are just my thoughts on this.

Interstingly the book is in the middle of the table, not close to the two chairs? And there is a jar of jam in between? This gives the feeling of something which is set up and put in order rather than something that really happened? There is something "artificial" to that picture, in my gut feeling.

If I was expecting a visitor, friend, guest and wanted to sit down and talk to, there would have been more space to walk and sit down.

I think the only thing a blood pattern report can shed some new light onto the murder is if any blood which is not Sophie's could clearly only and exclusively have come during the perpetration of the murder. Otherwise it will raise even more questions which would be equally hard to get answers to. I do understand that there was a blood stain on Sophie's boot which was neither Sophie's nor Bailey's but it's not established as to when the blood stain gotten onto the boot. The blood stain could easily have come before the murder in a totally unrelated matter.

The matter with her husband Daniel and the lack of consideration by the investigating police back then still baffles me.

Regarding this murder, Daniel conveniently "disposed" of his by then unwanted wife. He avoided a messy or costly divorce, he got to keep his assets, he got the financial payment from the life insurance of Sophie and everything that were Sophie's assets were now his, after all he was as husband next of kin. He also avoided all inconvenient questions from the Irish police by not travelling to Ireland. Were Daniel's finance ever investigated? Shouldn't that have been something which should have to be done?

It would for instance be interesting to know, if Daniel and Sophie already discussed a divorce prior to Sophie's departure for Ireland? Did they agree on assets and estates, or did they argue? And if so, over what? Was she to continue working for Daniel in the case of a divorce? Did they still share a bed together? The latter probably not. We do know that he gave her a call that late night, so most likely they were still at least on speaking terms.

In contrary, the picture of the spur of the moment and unplanned murder would probably most likely apply to the German musician.

At the moment, I think that this murder mystery will never be solved. It's possible that somebody still knows a bit more than he or she is telling, and maybe one day there is something like a "death bed confession".

I still believe that Shirley may be such a candidate who would possibly fit this profile: After all, she is the only one still alive who was the closest to the murder site at the night in question. And unless the murder was really quiet, she didn't hear or notice anything at all? Not even a car coming and going? Nothing? A cavity block crushing a skull is proably also not the most quiet acitivity? She must have really had a very deep sleep or worse, the possibility of wanting to protect her late husband.

I was not aware of Bruno's multiple proofs of alibi.

Also Sophie was described as a private minded person and it was that, what promted her to seek the lonelyness of rural South West Ireland. If she and Daniel planned a divorce, she certainly didn't want to be in the tabloids and wirtten about and spoken about. So it would have been rather discreet if that would have been possible.

Daniel's new relationship must have been at a very very advanced stage at the time of the murder. After all, his new wife gotten pregnant soon after the murder and they also married very soon after the murder.

As far as I know, Daniel also knew about Sophie's affairs especially with Bruno and that Sophie and Bruno spent time at the cottage? Apparently fairly regularly? Not certain? Sophie ended the affair with Bruno abruptly? But for what reason? She met somebody new we don't know about? Or was it some other reason?

Thanks for the links. An exciting read and good insight.

When Dermot Dwyer visited Ian Bailey he asked him whether he knew who did it, and Bailey said that her husband Daniel sent a hitman.

I am surprised this was never examined further. Not even the question was asked and examined how Bailey came up with this opinion.

Instead Dwyer said that he had a pretty good idea who did it, and he was al local. It was never clear how Dwyer came up with the idea it was a local back then. Or was he already pinning it on Bailey?

Well done! Did you just key P81Y364 into your satnav?

Way before eircodes, google maps and sat navs people were able to find where they needed to be. We used maps, signs, looked for landmarks and followed directions. If it was a hitman they would have done their homework. Its nonsense to think that it had to be a local just because of the remoteness of the property.

Exactly.

One would just have bought an OSI map. Ordnance Survey Ireland, if one doesn't know what that is.

These maps were even back then very exact. Way better than the Michelin ones in France, even though they were good as well.

It's just a farce by the police to think that based on that remoteness that the killer was local. This wouldn't even have fooled my grandmother. It feels like the police were taking us all for a ride on this one.

It's probably a reason to zoom in on Bailey or the beginning of their botched investigation.

I honestly don't know if Daniel sent a hitman or not. Non of us know. It's just one theory one line of enquiry which should have considered more as many things that happened would point into a direction.

He was the only one who financially benefitted from the murder. Upon her death, he received her assets as he was legally the husband and next of kin, he also recieved a life insurance payout, he also avoided a costly divorce and avoided sharing half of his assets with a divorced wife. He also evaded conveniently questioning, probing or examination by the Irish police. ( I don't think the French police ever investigated his finances around the time of the murder)

All that in mind, it's a little too convenient for Daniel. The inconvienient question I would have here at this point, is can we put an exact figure on that one how much Daniel gained vs how much he would have lost if he split everything in half with the divorced wife and single mother? It'll be very interesting.

Bailey had absolutely no benefit of Sophie's death from day one. The effort of 2 hours hike in the darkenss after a drinking session in the pub, to confront and kill a woman for absolutely no motive we can see?

A small time local drug dealer or occasional drug user, Sophie may have been observing and becoming impertinent to? Maybe also on the list of motivations for murder, however I don't think the financial implications would have been as strong as Daniel's. The motivation wouldn't have been so much financial but more to avoid a jail sentence? But still, a possible motive for murder which can't be denied.

Exactly.

Even more so, I also recall one OSI "paper map", even showing Sophie's house as well as the one of the Richardson's but oddly not Alfie and Shirley's.

So if Dwyer is stating that the killer must have been a local just be cause the house is rural, he's taking us all for a ride. What else? The Guards gave drugs to get close to Bailey they coerced Marie Farell, same as the Bandon Garda station tapes. Lost evidence….. This also makes one wonder if there was more to it?

Why would a clever hitman make it obvious by doing a 'clean hit'. A 'clean hit' would point straight to Daniel.

Easier to fool the gardai by doing an amateur job.

By the way the Gardai "investigated", it must have been easy to fool them. Of course the killer couldn't have known that, but a killer wouldn't have made it easy for the investigation as well. After all, he wanted to remain undiscovered and get away easy.

Yes, a clean hit would have pointed to Daniel, or even more to Daniel, but clean hits are also common in the drug business.