Identical twins with same DNA on trial for murder in France – but police don’t know who pulled trigger

Police investigating a double murder in France have been left scratching their heads because the two suspects are identical twins.

A pair of 33-year-old brothers, named only as Samuel and Jérémy Y, are part of five other defendants on trial for the murder of two men in 2020.

On September 14, 2020, victims Tidiane, 17, and Sofiane, 25, were shot and killed in a cellar in Saint-Ouen, a northern suburb of Paris.

Both of the twin brothers are accused of plotting the killings, but DNA found on one of the weapons can only be from one twin.

But forensic experts said they are unable to tell which of the brothers used the gun.

One investigator said, ‘Only their mother can tell them apart.’

Identical twins share the exact same DNA, making it impossible to discern between the siblings when searching for forensic evidence.

Police said they believe the pair also exchanged clothes, phones and ID documents to confuse authorities.

A commander told Le Parisien: ‘They exchange clothes as well as phone lines and identity papers. For a very long time, they have used this twinship in their criminal career.’

An expert who analysed the DNA found on the weapon said there was only the presence of one of the brothers, making the case even more complicated.

Identical twins result when cells from a single egg fertilised by a single sperm divide into two, so identical twins are the same gender and share identical DNA.

Though the DNA shared by twins is essentially the same, it can vary by hundreds of single mutations, which are hard to find.

The twins’ trial is ongoing, due to conclude in late February, but it’s not the first time a murder trial has been thrown into disarray over twin DNA.

Twin brothers Kailum and Kieran Nightingale were convicted of manslaughter after killing a man while trying to buy drugs from him.

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