Two drug trafficking-related homicides are being examined on Monday by the Criminal Court of Hainaut, in Mons, reports RTBF. The 28-year-old Alfredo Scuvero is accused of killing two men in less than 48 hours in the Charleroi region.
According to the prosecutor, the murders were premeditated. One judge is in charge of investigating both murders. He noted that the victims did not know each other but had a common contact, a man named Salvatore.
First crime
Jérôme Thiebaut, 32, was the first victim. On 17 December 2019, he did not show up at his work at the Fedasil centre in Jumet. A concerned colleague went to his home and discovered his lifeless body covered in blood.
The apartment was equipped with two CCTV cameras, which show that at 01:31 in the morning on 17 December, Jérôme was visited by two men dressed in hooded jackets. One of the men pulled out a gun and shot Jérôme, aiming for the head.
An examination of Jérôme's phone reveals two people he was in touch with regularly, one Salvator Goss and another Olivier Lauwers.
Second crime
Events developed quickly after a woman went to the police on 21 December 2019. She had not heard from her son, 47-year-old Olivier Lauwers, for several days.
The police went to Olivier's house in Courcelles that afternoon, where they found Olivier's body, wrapped in a sheet. They also found blood in the apartment, and traces of cocaine in the kitchen.
The police conduct investigations, including talking with witnesses. One of them confirms that Olivier used drugs and bought them from a certain Salvatore, who asked Olivier to his stash at his home.
Evidence gathered
Salvatore is quickly identified by police as Alfredo Scuvera.
The investigating judge ordered a search in Jumet, where the suspect lived with his stepmother and 15-year-old half-brother. The police discover two plastic bags filled with ammunition and a firearm, the murder weapon, buried in the garden.
The half-brother is suspected of being the second man in the CCTV video and apparently claims that it was Alfredo who killed the victims.
Further evidence is discovered on Alfredo's phone, while traces of blood are found on his clothes and shoes, as well as matching fingerprints.
Alfredo claims that Jérôme was his partner in drug trafficking, before retracting, and Olivier, as responsible for hiding drugs at his home.
Alfredo Scuvera was arrested on 5 January 2020 for the two murders, the theft of mobile phones and wallets, as well as using a minor to commit crimes.
His trial started on Monday and is expected to last for a week.
