Morocco Butcher Courreau Scot-Free In Dubrovnik

Although he was given the death penalty 25 years ago in Morocco, Dubrovnik Court released the murder suspect from custody.

- After Birkemeyer closed his shop and arrived home to have dinner with me and my sisters, someone rang the doorbell. Birkemeyer went to see who it was, but when he opened the door, there was nobody there anymore. He got back and after a minute, the doorbell went off once again. Annoyed, he went to see who it was again, but this time, he did not come back immediately. At one point, I looked through the window which opens to the front yard and is on the opposite side of the entrance to the house. I saw someone in the dark, swinging a white bat near the kennel. But, as I only saw feet in the dark, I assumed it was Birkemeyer, who would often hit his dog this way when he was annoyed. When I told my sisters what was happening, a man came into the living room, uninvited. He greeted us and put his hand on Halima`s shoulder, asking her to come outside with him – this is the start of a shocking testimony of Salama Madad, the sole survivor of Jacques Jackie Courreau, a French citizen suspected for the murder of his son Robin on the Croatian island of Sipan, who is currently walking scot-free in the streets of Dubrovnik. Javno website is in possession of documents from his trial in Marrakech that took place in 1985.

Pope saved him from execution

Jackie`s son Robin Ronald Courreau died on December 13, 2008 at Dubrovnik Hospital after receiving several blows with the blunt side of an axe to his head. Three persons were killed in a similar fashion in Horst Birkemeyer`s home on December 26, 1984 in Morocco`s Marrakech. The court passed a death sentence for their executor, mentioned Courreau. However, the king of Morocco reduced his sentence to 30 years in prison, according to the Slobodna Dalmacija daily, during a visit of Pope John Paul II in 1985.

Courreau, who was released from the African prison after 21 years, initially denied involvement in the triple homicide and attempted homicide to Morocco investigators, however, after being faced with witness Salama, who recognised him as the killer, he pleaded guilty and apologised for the brutal act..

Jackie Courreau`s confession

- I sat in my car at 9. I took a knife, tear gas for self-defence and a bat wrapped in a white piece of cloth, resolute to get rid of Birkemeyer. When I arrived in Casablanca, I had lunch with a few friends and set out for Marrakech at 13:30 hours. I arrived the same day before night. I stopped at a petrol station and checked into the Agadal Hotel, not far from Birkemeyer`s house. I took the bat, wrapped in some cloth, in one hand and the knife and tear gas wrapped in newspapers in the other hand and headed for the house. I rang the first time, but Birkemeyer went to the main door. I didn`t want to risk it in such an open place, so I hid and rang again after a few minutes. This time, Birkemeyer went through the garage door. He recognised me and invited me inside, saying he is in the company of three young girls. –he approached me, I hit him on the head with the bat and continued hitting him until I was sure he was dead. I hid the body and left the bat and entered the house. I invited Halima to step outside and when we got to Birkemeyer`s body, I hit her with the bat, while she screamed. I got back inside and looked for the other girls. They realised what was going on and started running across the house. I caught Amina in the kitchen, sprayed her with tear gas and stabbed her with the knife. When I was sure that she was dead, I started looking for Salama, but she ran across the roof and hid with the neighbours – Courreau told the investigators.

The motive of these murders has never been entirely clarified, or the circumstances of the murder of Jackie`s son in Sipan. According to some, Ronald was killed for money, but this has not yet been confirmed.

Released with 50,000 euro bail

As he initially denied the Morocco murders, Courreau also denied killing his son to the Dubrovnik investigative judge. Due to wavering evidence, the investigative judge released Courreau from custody with 50,000 euro bail and precaution measures – Courreau must not leave Dubrovnik and has to contact the police twice a week. Despite the mentioned measures, the citizens of Dubrovnik surely do not find it pleasant that they have to live with the fact that somewhere near them there is a triple murderer, who is now being investigated once again for another murder.

Seeing how he was sentenced before and that the circumstances of the murder he is suspected of are grave, a question arises: why is Jackie Courreau not behind bars in the Dubrovnik prison, but is resting in private accommodation, as the Slobodna Dalmacija daily writes, which has been thoroughly following this case.

Miljevic: This is a wrong call

- This is definitely a wrong call, I wouldn`t have let him go. Even though it is evident that the court has ordered certain precaution measures, I believe that due to the grave circumstances of the murder, as well as the possibility of re-offending, Courreau should have remained in custody – attorney Veljko Miljevic believes. In an attempt to explain the circumstances which led to the release of the notorious Frenchman, attorney Ljubo Pavasovic Viskovic told us he believes that only a claim for custody was proposed due to the possibility of escaping, which means there is a small level of doubt that he is the perpetrator.

However, when the way the murder was carried out in Sipan is compared to the murders in Morocco 25 years ago, a conclusion is drawn that the two acts are unusually similar.

Similarities

Jackie`s son Robin was killed with several blows to the head with the blunt part of the axe, which was found in a shed behind his home. Two out of thee Courreau`s Morocco victims were killed in a similar fashion – blows to the head with a baseball bat. There was talk on Sipan that Courreau killed his son, because Robin would not give him a certain amount of money. In a fit of rage, the rumour was, he grabbed an axe and brutally beat up his son, which is the same situation as the one in 1984. Courreau tried to cover up his tracks in Morocco, the murder weapons and the clothes after the triple murder. For comparison, it should be said that Dubrovnik police found a towel drenched with blood in Jackie Courreau`s suite, which the Frenchman most probably hid before getting a doctor for his son. Among other things, just like in Morocco, Courreau travelled near the targeted place and rented out a hotel room, which he used to hide incriminating evidence. Jackie Courreau is quietly awaiting the end of the investigation in a Dubrovnik hotel.

Son Visits Jacques Courreau In Prison

Father Brutally Kills Frenchman Robin Courreau?