Philippine Murder: CCTV, Fingerprints, Phone… How Suspect Taha O. Was Arrested by Police ?

On September 24, 2024, a suspect was arrested in the Philippine case. The young student was found partially buried this weekend in the Bois de Boulogne. She is believed to have died of asphyxiation.

The arrested man, Taha O., has a worrying profile. Well known to the police, he was on parole60~/strong> for a rape case committed in 2019 when he was a minor. Sentenced to 7 years in prison, he was released in 2024 to be placed in the Metz Administrative Detention Center (CRA) with an obligation to leave the territory (OQTF). But for unknown reasons, the young man did not stay at the CRA that he left at the beginning of September.

On Friday, September 20, the day of Philippine's death, Taha O. was in the Paris region. According to the first elements of the investigation, Philippine was killed on Friday afternoon, her murderer only returning the following day to bury her in the Bois de Boulogne.

Registered in the Automated Judicial File perpetrators of sexual or violent offences

Except that the suspect used the victim's bank card in Montreuil a few hours after her death. That's where the investigation started.

Identified by video surveillance cameras, telephone data and especially by his DNA found at the crime scene – Taha O. was registered in the Automated Judicial File of Perpetrators of Sexual or Violent Offenses (FIJAS), the national genetic fingerprint file since the rape he committed in Val-d'Oise – investigators were able to find him this Tuesday in Switzerland.

The man, of Moroccan origin, was at Geneva train station when he was arrested by the local police. “He was clearly trying to reach another country”, a source said. He will soon be placed in pretrial detention. The French authorities are expected to request his extradition.

She was not strangled

However, gray areas persist. Although the 19-year-old girl died of asphyxiation, there is no evidence that she was strangled. Moreover, according to information from Parisien, “no trace of tightening”.

Furthermore, the Paris prosecutor's office has also indicated that it has “other examinations and expert reports” to conduct in order to close this investigation. A police source had initially announced that Philippine had been beaten, which later turned out to be false, specifies the Parisien.