Xavier Philippe (criminal)

Xavier Philippe
Philippe in 2000s.
Born	(1956-11-08) 8 November 1956 Orléans, Loiret, France
Other names	"The Serial Killer of Associates"
Convictions	First degree murder x1 Third degree murder x1
Criminal penalty	30 years' imprisonment
Details
Victims	2–4
Span of crimes	18 November 1988 – 17 May 2005
Country	France
States	Centre-Val de Loire, Île-de-France
Date apprehended	29 November 2005

Xavier Philippe (born on 8 November 1956) Xavier Philippe, born on 8 November 1956 in Orléans, is a French serial killer and criminal.

Philippe is suspected of killing three of his associates, attempting to kill another, and deliberately killing a pensioner between 1988 and 2005. These suspicions have earned him the nickname ‘serial killer of associates.’.^[1][2][3][4]

In July 2008, Philippe was sentenced to 30 years in prison for murdering his associate, a pastry chef in the Marais district of Paris, in 2005. This sentence was upheld on appeal in June 2010.^[1][2][3][4]

After the case against him for the 1988 murder was dismissed and he was acquitted of the 1998 attempted murder, Philippe was released from prison in February 2025.^[1][2][3]

Xavier Philippe was born on 8 November 1956 in Orléans. He was born a few minutes before his twin brother, Bertrand, and spent his childhood in a middle-class family in Orléans.^[4]

In 1971, at the age of 14, Philippe discovered a passion for business and negotiation: he bought mopeds, which he refurbished and resold. As an adult, his unusual career choices were reflected in his physical appearance: a hoarse voice caused by a crushed chest following a plane crash, an expressionless face, and terrible burns caused by his suicide attempt, in which he tried to set himself on fire.^[4]

With a vocational qualification in car bodywork and founder of a karate club with several hundred members, Philippe decided to go into the fur trade, while also managing a restaurant-nightclub located on a barge in Orléans. Philippe felt ‘crushed’ by his brother Bertrand's success and was extremely jealous of him. His business ventures were very similar to those of his twin brother and Tony Gomez. The latter stated, ‘As soon as we had something, he wanted to copy us.’^[4]

On the night of 21 to 22 August 1982, Philippe set fire to his brother and his partner's nightclub in Orléans. Seriously burned, he went to a hospital to have his injuries treated. Investigators searched the hospitals and quickly identified Philippe because of his burns caused by the fire. Placed in police custody, Philippe admitted to attempting suicide and stated that he had burned down the nightclub to ensure his death. He denied any intention of killing his twin brother. For these acts, he was sentenced to three years in prison before being released in 1984.^[4]

In 1989, their mother organised a reconciliation between Tony Gomez, Xavier and Bertrand, and the three of them joined forces to set up the Banana Café. Later, Philippe found himself in court after shooting at young people at another nightclub in the city. He served time in prison. A lover of antique weapons, he left to set up a transport company in Paris, before being imprisoned again for trailer theft and carrying prohibited weapons. In 2000, Philippe became the manager of a bakery and pastry shop, partnering with Christophe Belle. They opened ‘l'Avion Délices’ in the Marais district of Paris.^[4]

On the night of 28 April 1998, Grégory, the partner of Tony Gomez, manager of the famous Banana Café, returned home. A man armed with a rifle was waiting for him and shot him in the arm. The victim managed to escape and went to alert the emergency services in the bar. The shooter was arrested after bar patrons blocked the door to the residence. The investigation revealed that the shooter, a truck driver from Orléans, had spoken six times on the phone with Xavier Philippe on the night of the attack. He claimed to have acted on orders but refused to name his employer. At the time of the incident, Philippe was the financial director of the Banana Café.^[5]

Gomez is questioned and is convinced that Philippe organised the attack. He immediately felt targeted: he had seen Xavier Philippe stealing from the café's cash register and had discovered the existence of a life insurance policy taken out in his name for the benefit of Xavier Philippe's mother. He suspected him immediately. Gomez was Bertrand Philippe's partner, Xavier Philippe's brother, for over twenty years. As Xavier Philippe got into a lot of trouble, which led him to prison, his mother begged her other son and his partner to take care of him. That is why they teamed up with Xavier Philippe to found a gay nightclub, the Banana Café, in 1989, in the Les Halles district. When Bertrand Philippe committed suicide on 5 July 1995, his brother was convinced that Tony Gomez was to blame for his death. He allegedly ordered his assault in 1998.^[4][6][7]

On 17 May 2005, a man was found dead in the woods near the town of Sucy-en-Brie. The national police observed three bullet wounds to the head. The Paris criminal police took charge of the investigation. At the crime scene, investigators found a bag of white powder near the victim, which, after analysis, turned out to be cocaine. The initial evidence at the scene suggested a drug-related settling of scores. The deceased's identity papers were found in his jacket: he was Christophe Belle, a well-known Parisian pastry chef.^[2][3][4]

By investigating his habits and family life, the investigators quickly ruled out the possibility of a drug deal gone wrong. The picture that emerges is of a man with a simple life, whose work as a pastry chef was more than enough to support him. Toxicology tests show that he did not use cocaine or any other drugs. The police suspect that Christophe Belle's murder was staged. The investigators interview all of his relatives and the bakery staff, including his partner, Philippe. They all mention numerous incidents that Christophe Belle had been subjected to recently: threatening phone calls, minor damage to the bakery. And they all accuse Christophe's rival, a certain M.F., who has been in a commercial dispute with him for several years. The police discover that he lives in the town where the body was found, close to the woods. He is arrested but claims to have an alibi: he has not lived in the town for nearly four years (failure to change his address) and on the evening of the crime, he was in Normandy.^[2][3][4]

On 24 May, a judicial investigation against X is opened for murder. The police officers from the criminal investigation department suspect manipulation and a staged crime scene. Shortly afterwards, Philippe presents himself to the investigators. He informs them that on the night of the crime, he received a message from the victim saying, ‘I'll be there in 5 or 10 minutes late at night’ (close to the time of the crime). He justifies himself by claiming that it was a mistake on Christophe Belle's part. The police analysed the victim's phone and observed that there could be no mistake.^[2][3][4]

A month later, Belle's wife alerted the police: she had discovered a life insurance policy taken out by her husband, with Xavier Philippe as the beneficiary. This partner becomes increasingly suspicious; according to the bakery staff, he is known for ‘dipping into the till’, there is a significant discrepancy between receipts and purchases of goods, and embezzlement of thousands of pounds a year is revealed. Behind the appearance of a dark-haired man with glasses, wearing a waistcoat, white shirt and tie, alternately offering polite pleasantries and endless tirades about his innocence, lies a voluble and manipulative man with a scandalous past. The investigation into Xavier Philippe reveals his criminal record, his unstable profile, numerous suspicions of insurance fraud, and above all, the 1998 assassination attempt against Gomez. As the case was still under investigation at the time and the police observed numerous similarities, they issued a report on 28 November.^[2][3][4]

On 29 November, Xavier Philippe was arrested for the murder of Belle. He continues to deny responsibility for the crime, despite the mounting evidence against him. Philippe was charged with murder and placed in pre-trial detention.^[2][3][4][8]

On 7 December 2005, his ex-wife was interviewed. She stated that, on the night of 17 to 18 November 1988, he came home later than usual. He allegedly confessed to her that he had killed Pascal Le Roy in order to avoid prison. Pascal Le Roy was a former business partner who had been missing since then. He warned her not to go to the police and even threatened her. This added a new element to the case before Xavier Philippe's trial.^[9][10]

When checking Philippe's criminal record, investigators discovered a conviction for manslaughter. Fourteen years earlier, on 27 June 1991, while riding his motorbike and deliberately running a red light, Philippe fatally knocked down Joseph Terzian, 86, in a district of Paris. Initially imprisoned for murder, Philippe was finally convicted of manslaughter and briefly imprisoned before being released.^[3][4][11]

A third death is suspected to be linked to Philippe. When his brother Bertrand was found dead on 5 July 1995, the investigation concluded that it was suicide. Philippe has always maintained that his brother's suicide was Gomez's fault. The attempted murder of Gomez in 1998 was allegedly motivated by this case. For his part, Gomez has always maintained that Philippe killed his brother and then made it look like suicide.^[12]

Philippe was also charged in May 2006 with the attempted murder of Tony Gomez in April 1998. His obsession with getting rid of his associates earned him the nickname ‘the serial killer of associates’.^[8]

On 23 June 2008, Philippe's trial began at the Val-de-Marne Assize Court. The court examined the case and the defendant's background for two long weeks. During the trial, Gomez, his former business partner and nightclub owner, was questioned. He said of the defendant: ‘He never had any rules, he dares to do anything because he doesn't know the difference between what is allowed and what is not.’ He made no secret of his negative opinion of him; he was convinced of his former business partner's guilt in the 1998 assault case. Gomez is convinced that he was the target. He decides to file a complaint against Philippe.^[7]

During his closing argument, Philippe Sarda, Philippe's lawyer, stated: ‘We will focus on the many inconsistencies in this case and try to prove that it was a set-up that ultimately benefited Tony Gomez.’ On 5 July, Philippe was sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment.^[7]

Philippe's lawyer lodged an appeal, but the 30-year sentence was upheld on appeal on 17 June 2010. Philippe appealed to the Court of cassation, but the Court rejected his appeal. He then requested a priority constitutionality review, but this was also rejected, confirming his 30-year prison sentence.^[7][13]

A suspicious letter disrupted the trial. According to investigators, this unsigned letter was sent by Philippe to a witness in the murder of Belle. The letter read: "You correct your statement. Alain Samycia does not know Xavier, that's all." Alain Samycia was one of the suspects in the attempted murder of Grégory and Gomez in 1998; more specifically, the man Philippe allegedly paid to kill Gomez.^[14]

On 23 June 2011, Philippe and his lawyer referred a Priority Preliminary Constitutionality Question (QPC) to the 10th Chamber of the Paris Criminal Court on the basis of Article 6 of the ECHR: ‘Everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time.’ His lawyer emphasised that the charges against his client, Philippe, dated back to 28 April 1998. He also denounced ‘the extraordinary length of time taken to deal with a case that is not so complex’ and attempted to make the jury aware of the suffering of the relatives of Belle, the victim. The prosecutor retorts that the convicted man is a ‘Machiavellian’, “calculating” individual, ‘a man with no limits, no moral sense’, ‘of endless greed and appetite’.^[14]

On 4 July 2012, Philippe is sentenced to an additional four years in prison for organising the attempted murder of Grégory and Gomez. On 12 June 2013, the Paris Court of Appeal acquitted Philippe of aggravated assault against Grégory Colombe in the Tony Gomez case.^[2][3][4][5]

Philippe was released in February 2025, after 19 years in prison.^[3]

• List of serial killers by country