Identical twins are on trial in France for a horrific double murder. However, police have been left baffled as to who is responsible for the crime, as the brothers share the same DNA.
Genetic material that matched both of the 33-year-olds identified as Samuel and Jérémy Y was found on the murder weapon used to kill two young men. However, it is not known which twin actually pulled the trigger.
The two young men were murdered on September 14, 2020, by multiple gunshot wounds in a cellar, in the Soubise housing project located in Saint-Ouen.
Both Samuel and Jérémy are also on trial for several attempted murders on October 3, 2020, committed by an organised gang. While both of the twins are suspected of conspiring to plot the double murder, DNA on an assault rifle can only be found from one of the twins.
The trial is currently taking place at the Bobigny Assize Court, near Paris, where, on Tuesday, February 8, both twins were said to have been expelled from the courtroom for refusing to stand, reports BBC.
Investigators believe that the brothers have "exploited" their resemblance to cover their crimes.
The chief commander of the criminal brigade, Commander Dumas, told Le Parisien: “They exchange clothes as well as telephone lines and identity documents.
“For a very long time, they have exploited this twinship in their criminal careers.
“Only their mother could tell them apart.”
The brothers are monozygotic twins, meaning they come from a single fertilised egg that splits into two identical embryos and therefore share identical DNA.
In order to determine which twin fired the murder weapon, investigators will have to use phone records, surveillance footage and wiretaps.
In addition to identical DNA, the pair reportedly also shares pointed goatees and a leg ailment.
