A court in Brussels has ruled that the private secretary of an executive of the US-trye manufacturer Goodyear is to remain in custody. She is suspected of having murdered her boss’ wife.
On 17 March Carmel D. was stabbed at least 4 times by a masked assailant inside the flat she and her husband lived in on the Roger Vandendriesschelaan (photo above), in the Brussels municipality of Sint-Pieters-Woluwe. The area is residential, well-to-do and popular with expats and diplomats. Carmel D.’s husband Chris D. found his wife’s body when he returned home.
On 4 April a suspect was detained in connection with Carmel D.’s killing. At the time of her arrest, she was Chris D.’s private secretary. The day after her arrest she was formally charged and remanded in custody. Now magistrates have ruled that she must remain in custody.
Robbery not a motive
CCTV footage shows that the assailant remained at the flat for almost an hour after Carmel D. was stabbed and took several expensive watches and pieces of jewelry with them. Initially, it was assumed that robbery was the motive for the killing. However, the relatively small number of items taken cast doubt on this theory.
Shortly after the incident, Chris D. called his private secretary G.V., but it is unclear what the conversation was about. The close relationship between them was to play an important role in the investigation. G.V. was Chris D.'s private secretary and his mistress.
On 17 March G.V. confessed to having killed Carmel D., although she denies that murder was her initial intent. Disguised, she gained access to the flat using a copied key. G.V. then stabbed Carmel D. several times in the chest and stomach. She was arrested after police received a tip from one of her friends to whom she had confessed what she had done.