The DNA of a man recently arrested for robbery matches evidence from an unsolved Marrakech murder 11 years ago.
Rabat – After analyzing the biometrics and DNA sample of a suspected thief, the Department of Biology in the Scientific Police Laboratory found a link to an unsolved murder and arson crime from 2009.
Police detained the man for robbery in Ben Guerir, the capital of Morocco’s Rehamna province north of Marrakech. The thief’s fingerprints revealed him to be the main suspect for the murder dating back to January 17, 2009, in Marrakech.
Eleven years ago, Marrakech police responded to a residential fire and discovered a lifeless 79-year-old man. The General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) stated that the victim suffered from serious injuries before his murderer set flame to his home.
An investigation ensued, but authorities were unable to identify who was responsible for the murder and arson and solve the case.
Investigators filed away evidence, including fingerprints from the crime scene, in the country’s criminal database in case of a future match.
The judicial police confirmed the results, leading authorities to reopen the murder case. The defendant is subject to a judicial hearing for the case.
According to the DGSN’s annual report, Morocco’s violent crime rate decreased by 9% in 2019, following an increase in anti-crime operations.
However, the number of arrests were higher in 2019 than 2018, as the country’s national security focused on finding wanted people.
Fatal assault decreased by 11.2% and robberies saw a dip of 3.4%.
Under Morocco’s current state of emergency, a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, police have increased their presence and work diligently to detect violators of the law. As of May 9, Moroccan courts have prosecuted 65,352 individuals for violating state of emergency provisions.
