On Sunday, 7th August 1966, around 11:00, 18-year-old (anonymised) crashed his brand new red Alpine A110 sports car on the road between Brussels and the seaside resort Knokke. He died from the injuries sustained when his car hit into a tree on the narrow turn. The preliminary inspection determined that excessive speed was the cause of the accident. However, since there were no signs of brake marks on the asphalt and the eyewitness saw no signs of breaking, (anonymised) ordered further examination of the car.
Full analysis of the car revealed that the braking system was damaged, and also traces of white car paint were found on the right rear fender. The eyewitness, (anonymised), saw a white car driving closely behind the (anonymised)’s car just before the accident. The white car slowed down, as if the driver was looking at the crash scene, and then took off. The eyewitness did not see the licence plates, but he remembered that it was a white Simca 1000.
The police technicians determined that one of the brake lines was damaged, most likely cut, which led to the malfunction of the brakes. The line snapped off when (anonymised) was trying to brake hard before the turn, and the car went straight into a tree. The victim turned 18 just 2 days before, which means, as only the heir of his deceased father’s steel mill business, he was a millionaire just for two days.
(anonymised), stepmother of (anonymised). She married his father in April 1965, just 2 months before (anonymised)’s death. Her husband was unwell for weeks before his death, with stomach pains and vomiting, but the doctors were unable to find the reason behind his poor health. He died in June 1965 without changing his original will, which stated that (anonymised) will inherit the whole family fortune when he becomes an adult, while (anonymised) will get the small pension for the rest of her life.
She was unhappy with the way the family heirloom was split, but had no legal ground to change the will of her deceased husband. She often argued with (anonymised) about the money, and there was a constant resentment between them. She suspected that he had something to do with the death of his father, while he was convinced that she married his father for the money.
When the accident took place, she was in the family residence in the Uccle suburbs of Brussels, which was confirmed by the housekeeper.
(anonymised), former chauffeur of (anonymised), used to drive his employer to and from the family steel mill a few times a week. He was released from his duties by (anonymised) a few weeks before the accident after over 10 years of employment. Currently works as a taxi driver in Brussels, which is a significantly less profitable than his previous job.
When the accident took place, he was at home - he was about to take the night shift as the cab driver, so he was sleeping most of the day. His dispatcher in the taxi company confirmed that (anonymised) started his shift on time, at 18:00.
Interrogated by the (anonymised), he testified that he was nowhere near the victim’s house from the day he was dismissed, and he had no contact with (anonymised) or (anonymised) since then. Right now, he has no personal car, but sometimes uses his brother’s yellow Renault 4.
