Two men, Christian Rad and Vasile Ostas, have confessed to the brutal murder of a French salesman, Philippe Charuel, in 2003. The pair had been living under false identities in Catalonia for over 20 years after evading justice for nearly two decades.
Charuel’s lifeless body was discovered in a ditch in eastern France in February 2003. An investigation revealed that he had been targeted by two young prostitutes who reported being bothered by him near a bar in Nancy. Rad and Ostas were later identified as the suspects, but they managed to evade capture for over 20 years.
The pair was arrested in August 2023, near Barcelona, after Spanish police discovered their true identities. During their interrogation, Ostas admitted to hitting Charuel with his hands, while Rad admitted to physically attacking him.
Ostas, a Romanian national, claimed he did not want Charuel dead and asked for forgiveness from the victim’s family and French society. Rad also expressed remorse, stating that he saw a lot of violence during the incident and thought about Charuel’s family that evening.
The two men had previously been sentenced in absentia to 30 and 26 years in jail in 2011. A verdict is expected on Friday.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/men-confess-murder-france-20-years-false-identities