Alfredo Stranieri

Case identification

Alfredo Stranieri (born July 30, 1956) was nicknamed "the killer ads."

Background

Alfredo Stranieri was an Italian naturalized French in 1982. He met his victims through classified advertisements. He wiped his victims and appropriated their property.

The offences

Alfredo Stranieri was sentenced for four murders and one attempted murder. He appropriated the property of two couples he murdered to manage fraud. He also attempted to murder a man who wanted to sell a Jaguar.

Attempted murder of Simon Cohen (Jaguar transaction)

On January 4, 1999, under the pseudonym of Frederic Adman, Alfredo Stranieri contacted Simon Cohen through a classified ad he had placed to sell a Jaguar. Without renegotiating the price of the vehicle, Adman (Stranieri) offered Simon Cohen to complete the transaction at a restaurant/nightclub in Viry-Châtillon (Essonne). When Simon Cohen arrived at the establishment, Adman told him that his bank would come and bring a certified check to pay for the car.

Adman (Stranieri) coaxed his victim by suggesting places to visit. Cohen reluctantly agreed. Adman (Stranieri) then pulled out a gun and shot Simon Cohen two times. Cohen managed to escape to the neighbor who alerted the police. Stranieri fled. Simon Cohen was transported to the emergency and was saved after four hours of intervention.

Disappearance of Frédéric and Nathalie Girard (New Love nightclub sale)

In late 1997, Alfredo Stranieri answered a classified ad published by a couple of restaurateurs. Adman (Frederic Adman) and his partner Nathalie Girard wanted to sell the New Love, a nightclub in Viry-Châtillon. On November 7, the sale was signed. Six days later, the couple disappeared.

Investigation and arrest

In March 1999, in the Aveyron, Alfredo Stranieri selected ads in a hostel in Bez de Naussac ("Buryatia"). The place suited him: quiet and isolated. The deed of sale was signed on April 10. Two days later, the two owners, Nicole Rousseau and his friend Claude Mouly, disappeared.

Alfredo Stranieri settled in Buryatia. Corinne Mouly, anxious not to have heard from his father, alerted the police. Investigators discovered that Stranieri was wanted for the assassination attempt on Simon Cohen. He was immediately arrested.

A few days later, the bodies of Frédéric and Nathalie Girard Adman were found in the garden of New Love, and the bodies of Nicole Rousseau and Claude Mouly were found near the Bouriant.

Trial

The trial of Alfredo Stranieri began February 18, 2003 before the Assize Court of Essonne.

Sentencing

After the trial, Alfredo Stranieri was sentenced on February 28, 2003 to life imprisonment with a penalty of 22 years of safety.

Appeals

The conviction was affirmed in March 2004 by the Court of Appeal of Créteil. The cassation appeal was rejected by Alfredo Stranieri in early 2005.