Octaviano M. V., suspect in the killing of a young mother in front of her baby in Nice, has been charged with murder and placed in pretrial detention. Arrested after three days on the run, he remained silent during questioning. The investigation uncovers a contrasting profile between a municipal worker with no professional issues and a history of family violence.
On Wednesday evening, Lizabete, a 23-year-old woman, was shot about ten times through her car window in Nice, with her seven-month-old daughter Ayla beside her. Miraculously, the baby emerged unharmed. Nice prosecutors quickly pursued an intrafamilial lead, despite a method suggesting organized crime.
Octaviano M. V., 45, born in Portugal and part of the Cape Verdean community like the victim, is suspected of being Lizabete's indirect stepfather. A municipal worker and gym custodian with no apparent professional issues, he shows a different side in his private life, characterized by violence and jealousy. The Sunday after the incident, he was charged with "murder" by prosecutor Damien Martinelli and placed in pretrial detention. During questioning, he remained silent, as noted by the magistrate.
Arrested Saturday afternoon in Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes, by the BRI and Raid after three days on the run, Octaviano M. V. had fled the crime scene. His judicial history is under review: on January 18, he was placed under judicial supervision following custody for aggravated violence against the victim's stepmother, with whom he allegedly had an affair. He was barred from approaching her and required to seek treatment. In 2014, a rape complaint against him was dropped due to insufficient evidence. In Portugal, he faces inquiries into aggravated thefts from the early 2000s. In France, his only conviction is for an old offense of driving without a license.
Investigators are piecing together the suspect's dual nature, as the Cape Verdean community grapples with this tragic case.
