Investigators reconstruct murder of wife of American Goodyear top executive in Brussels
On Friday, investigators have in the Brussels municipality of Sint-Pieters-Woluwe held a reconstruction of the murder of the wife of an American top executive at global tyre manufacturer Goodyear. The man's private secretary, who was having an affair with him, has confessed to the crime, although she claims she did not go to the flat to kill the woman.
The former CEO for the Middle East, Africa and Europe regions of Goodyear, Chris D., himself notified the police on Monday 17 March because he had found his wife's lifeless body when he came home. The autopsy of the 61-year-old victim, Carmel D., later revealed that she had four wounds in the chest and abdominal area, caused by a blunt or sharp object.
Three luxury watches had also been stolen, leading investigators to initially suspect that it was a robbery-homicide. Security cameras had filmed a possible suspect, who however could not be identified.
Two weeks after the murder, Greet V., Chris D.'s private secretary, was arrested during a search of her home in Steenokkerzeel, Flemish Brabant. The investigating judge charged her with murder the following day, on Saturday 5 April.
According to various media reports, Greet V. incriminated herself. She allegedly asked one of her friends “strange questions” about “committing murder” and eventually confessed to what she had done. The friend then went to the police.
Extramarital affair
Greet V., who had been working for Chris D. for thirteen years, had been having an extramarital affair with him for some time, but is said to have had difficulty with the fact that D. had no intention of leaving his wife. On 17 March, she allegedly disguised herself with a wig, a face mask and a long raincoat, cycled to the couple's flat and broke in with a copy of the key she had secretly had made.
Investigators suspect that the woman went to the flat to kill Carmel D., but she denies this. According to her, she only wanted to spend the day in her lover's flat and felt caught when Carmel D. came home.
Greet V. allegedly first tried to hide in a storage room next to the kitchen, but when Carmel D. entered the kitchen, she allegedly bumped into V. V. then allegedly stabbed her with a knife she had taken from the kitchen and only afterwards came up with the plan to make the crime look like a robbery-homicide.
According to the Brussels public prosecutor's office, the reconstruction went smoothly. The public prosecutor's office is not providing any further comments on the reconstruction or the investigation at this time.
The building in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe where Carmel D. was murdered in her apartment © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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