Swiss Murder Mysteries

On the final day of the trial, the prosecution and defence present their final pleas. By then, the prosecution had woven together what seemed an almost inescapable account of Betty's fate. Yet one crucial element remained missing: Definitive proof. Every link in the chain was circumstantial, and the defence had spent the entire trial exploiting that single weakness, determined to plant the seed of reasonable doubt. Whether they succeeded would remain unknown until the following Monday, when the judges revealed their verdict.

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Extradited to Switzerland, Belshaw was taken to Bois-Mermet Prison in Lausanne, where he remained in custody awaiting trial. His defence was entrusted to two of Switzerland's leading criminal lawyers, Paschoud and Stoudmann, while Swiss investigators assembled the case they believed would finally reveal the truth about Betty's disappearance. On December 3, 1980, Cyril Belshaw stood trial for murder in Aigle. Awaiting him was not only the weight of the prosecution's evidence, but a judicial system unlike anything he would have had encountered in the Anglo-American world - one that would shape the course of the trial its outcome.

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Confronted with the Swiss investigators' discovery, Belshaw admitted to forging his wife's dental records. His explanation, however, raised more questions than it answered. Convinced they had uncovered only a fraction of the truth, the Swiss investigators closed in, determined to stay on the suspects’ heels. Belshaw was arrested after making what would prove to be a fatal miscalculation: Traveling to Paris for a conference, where French police were waiting. Backed by some of France's most formidable defence lawyers, he fought a determined legal battle to avoid being sent to Switzerland. The outcome hung in the balance. In the end, however, the courts ruled against him.

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Three months after Betty vanished in Paris, road workers made a grim discovery: the decomposed body of a woman near a lay-by on a remote alpine pass in Switzerland, barely 100 kilometres from Crans-Montana. Aware of the French missing-person investigation, Swiss detectives asked Cyril to provide Betty's dental records. He complied—but only after secretly altering the charts. Soon afterwards, he returned to Canada, seemingly unaware that Swiss investigators would eventually uncover not only his forgery, but an even more damaging secret. During his time in Crans-Montana, Cyril had been carrying on a clandestine love affair.

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While on sabbatical in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, renowned Canadian anthropology professor Cyril Belshaw and his wife Betty embarked on an impromptu trip to Paris. Two day later, Cyril reported his wife missing. Despite exhaustive efforts, she was nowhere to be found. With no leads and nothing more to be done, he returned alone to their holiday retreat in Switzerland. Months passed in desperate silence - until one day, Swiss police investigators arrived at his door with news that would shatter the tranquillity of his solitude. News that was as disturbing as it was unexpected.

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On December 3, 1980, Canadian professor Cyril Belshaw, a world-renowned anthropologist from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, stood trial in the city of Aigle, Switzerland charged with the murder of his wife, Betty. Her body had been discovered 21 months earlier, along a remote Swiss mountain pass not far from where the couple spent a sabbatical. Odd: Just two months before her remains were found, Belshaw had reported her missing, claiming they had been visiting Paris at the time of her disappearance. Some things just did not add up.

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A new theory suggests that an unknown individual may have been involved in the murders, proposing that they were carried out not by one person, but possibly two or even three. This theory is supported by testimony from two witnesses, whose statements were made public by the police only years later. Moreover, a recent discovery on the internet could potentially be a groundbreaking revelation.

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In episode five we take a close look at Carl Doser, the man that officially owned the murder weapon but fooled the police when questioned about his Winchester 20 years ago. How and where he grew up as well as his social and family background. And we’ll focus on a private investigator that wrote a book about the murder and for the first time ever came up with a motive and theory.

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The sensational discovery of the murder weapon, found hidden behind a kitchen unit in an apartment in the town of Olten almost 30 years after the crime, not only renewed the investigators' hope but also raised a multitude of new questions. Once the registered owner was identified, the police initiated an international manhunt, but the results were less than promising.

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Taking a close look at the arrest of Robert, the murdered couple's son, and his girlfriend Anita, whom the police considered the prime suspects. But them having ironclad alibis soon Roberts estranged cousin 'Johnny' entered the scene, not least because a few weeks prior to the murder he was seen at a Basel gun store buying ammunition.

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Episode 2 takes a closer look at the victims, especially at Eugen Siegrist, the owner of the cabin and most likely the main target of the assassination and we will look at the Friday, the day prior to the murder when some rather odd events occurred at Eugen's work place. We then try to establish a detailed account of the events as they could have enfolded on the fatal day in June.

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On June 6, 1976 a 28 year old daughter finds her parents and aunt along with her two sons murdered at her father's remote weekend cabin in the Swiss countryside. All five victims showing at least one bullet hole in the forehead, hence were shot at point blank range. Apparently none tried to escape or intervene. Thirteen shell casings were found at the scene of the crime and the murdered couple's car, that the murderer/s used to escape, was located the same day 30 km away. The couple's son (20) became the prime suspect. Yet neither a motive nor the murder weapon could be found.

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A gripping true crime podcast delving into Switzerland’s most talked-about and perplexing murder case. Five family members executed with chilling precision. Shot at point-blank range in the forehead. The crime bears a haunting resemblance to a Mafia contract killing, and its motive continues to elude the police, shrouded in mystery to this day.

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The episode explains the 30 year staute of limitations for capital crimes in Switzerland and describes the pro and cons of the abolition bill currently under discussion in the Swiss parliament.

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The last episode is a summary of the events and presents the most common of possible scenarios as well as a new personal account by the author. However, it remains up to the listener to figure out what really happened on that day in July 1982 and what led to the tragic and mysterious deaths of the two teenagers, who’s murderer may still live near the Crystal Caves.

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Episode 7 is about startling new testimonials that surfaced 37 years after the double murder. Observations that once again put a familiar suspect right back into the spotlight, even though the case had reached its 30-year statute of limitation for murder in 2012. And we follow up on private investigators that still wanted to solve the mystery about the double murders.

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With the case being re-enacted as part of a television programme but not yielding new leads, the case went cold. That is until an altogether different investigation connected a new suspect to the Crystal Cave Murders in 1985. We take an in-depth look at the bizarre circumstances that gave the police new hope and we hear the account of the accused, who gave an interview for the first time after several years of silence and seclusion.

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In Episode 5 we learn how the police approached the Television Programme ‘Case File XY unsolved’ which aired a detailed 10 minute reenactment of the murder case. The intention was to find new witnesses and spread the inquires across all German speaking countries. We look at the results and focus on the puzzling inconsistencies between facts and the reenacted details shown in the television programme.

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Episode 4 focuses on the police investigation, their conclusions as to the nature and motive of the double murder and how the circumstances as well as additional testimonies by villagers lead them to four suspects. But as their continuous questioning lead to no confession and lacking convincing evidence, a murder weapon and even the site of the murders, they soon had to admit that they were facing a very complex case that soon proved to be clearly out of their league.

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Episode 3 concentrates on the discovery of the two bodies in extremely impassable terrain near the Crystal Caves. We hear of the strange explanations by the hiker that found them and his puzzling actions before and especially after discovering the bodies. And we hear of statements given by people involved in the events following the discovery and finally shed a light on the insights and conclusions by the police.

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Episode 2 takes a close look at what happened during the days and weeks following the disappearance of the two girls, including the discovery of their abandoned bicycles. We hear about observations and testimonies from locals and how the police steadily increased their search efforts in the forest by the crossroads and the near Crystal Caves, yet remained clueless as to the whereabouts of girls.

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Introduction of the two victims and the account of the days leading up to their disappearance. Exploring the factors that motivated them to embark on their bicycle adventure and unravelling the events that transpired during those three crucial days. Furthermore, we explain the decision-making process behind choosing their final route home. Finally, we trace their journey to the crossroads, where they were last seen alive.

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