Who killed Sophie Toscan du Plantier? All the suspects in the case
Sophie's killer has never been found and there have been many suspects in the case, including British journalist Ian Bailey.
Netflix's latest documentary Sophie: A Murder in West Cork looks at the murder of French television producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier.
In 1996, Sophie was was found dead outside her holiday cottage in West Cork, Ireland. Her killer has never been found.
The three-part doc will feature interviews from those involved in the investigation and will also look at the multiple suspects, including British freelance journalist Ian Bailey who reported Sophie's death.
Ian Bailey
Bailey is a 64-year-old British writer originally from Manchester, who has lived in Ireland since 1991. He was living a few miles away from Sophie's home at the time of the murder.
He became and remains the main suspect in the case, after a woman made an anonymous call to the police saying she had seen a man who looked like Bailey acting strangely on a bridge near to Sophie’s home on the night of her murder.
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It was reported at the time that Bailey had deep scratches on his arms when he was arrested for questioning in 1991. Nevertheless, he was never charged in Ireland as there was no evidence linking him to the murder scene.
In May 2019, however, the French courts put Bailey on trial for Sophie’s murder and he was found guilty in absentia. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and attempts were made to have him extradited from Ireland to France, but the Irish High Court ruled against Bailey’s extradition.
Bailey continues to live in Cork and is now a poet.
Bruno Carbonnet
Artist and Sophie's former lover, Bruno Carbonnet, was also one of the original suspects identified by the Gardai - the national police service of the Republic of Ireland.
He raised eyebrows after Sophie unexpectedly ended their three-year relationship in 1993.
In January 1997, the Gardai travelled to France to interview him just weeks after Sophie's death, however, he was soon eliminated from the investigation as he had a concrete alibi.
French police established through a receipt, which Carbonnet signed for the installation of a telephone at his apartment, that he was in Paris on December 23rd, 1996, the day Ms Toscan du Plantier was murdered.
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Karl Heinz Wolney
According to Buzz.ie, German musician named Karl Heinz Wolney was one of the early suspects in the Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder.
Wolney came to West Cork, a mile from Sophie’s home, with his then wife from East Germany after the fall of the Berlin wall.
He was a musician and was playing in Crookhaven on the evening that the French film producer was killed.
Wolney returned home later that night and was on his own, so he had no alibi.
Wolney died by suicide in February 1997 and reportedly told his friend he'd done a "terrible thing" before his passing, however, the friend who he confessed to is now seriously ill and passed on the information to authorities.
At the time of Sophie's murder, Wolney made a statement to the Gardai and always denied ever seeing or knowing Sophie.
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"Peeping Tom"
Buzz.ie also reported that a known "Peeping Tom" was among the early suspects, however, police never took him seriously after an interview.
The man in question made a statement and denied knowing Sophie or being near her house. However he's said to have had a reputation for going around people’s houses and looking in the windows.
Sophie: A Murder in West Cork arrives on Netflix on 30th June. If you’re looking for something else to watch, visit our TV Guide. Check out our Documentaries hub for all the latest news.
