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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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Eugene and Elsa Siegrist, the owners of the cabin and 2 of the 5 victims, were married in 1943. They lived in Basel, one of the largest cities in the German speaking part of Switzerland, bordering Germany and France. In 1976, Eugene was 63 years old and working at one of the major pharmaceutical companies as a leading technical employee. Elza, his wife, 62, as it was common at the time, took care of the household and the 2 children, Esther, 28, and her younger brother, Robert, 21. In 1965, Eugene acquired a patch of land in the countryside near the village of Sabin and, by himself, built a small wooden cabin of about 3 by 5 meters.
Narrator:He did not care for a permit at the time as he should have. The cabin being rather small and out in the country, nobody actively opposed to his project, and the person responsible at the municipal council seems to have turned a blind eye. However, especially in the beginning, rumors circulated throughout the village, hinting that the cabin might one day face removal by force. Eugene, somewhat worried about this, painted a sign with 4 skulls and crossbones in each corner, which he then attached to the cabin wall with the following message. Think twice before you demolish this hut.
Narrator:The owner has not done you any harm. It was most likely meant for potential construction workers should the municipality, after all, decide to have his treasured cabin pulled down. Following the murder, the sign was quite often wrongfully connected to the tragic incident. In a recent interview with the son, Robert, he declared that this was nonsense and that the sign had absolutely nothing to do with the murder. It was nothing more than another speculation by the press.
Narrator:The original sign is still in his possession, and a photograph can be seen on our website at swissmurdermysteries.com. This is A Day in June, episode 2 of the Sabin Murder Mystery, an investigative true crime podcast by Playground Media Productions. Produced, written, and hosted by me, Rudolf Isler. The presumption of innocence applies. The cabin, situated approximately 30 kilometers to the south of the family's home in Basel, was an ideal location to escape the loud and busy city life.
Narrator:Whenever the weather was nice and the time right, Eugene and his wife Elsa spent their weekends there. If the weather was less favorable, Yuqing quite often went there alone, either to fix something, to mow the lawn, or just to rearrange things. The cabin stood in a corner of a green flat meadow. Its backside a few meters from the forest's edge. The main entrance was on the shorter left hand side.
Narrator:Facing the meadow and offering a splendid view across the countryside was a terrace with wooden floor planks and a railing that was cut open at its access point. Where the terrace joined the cabin, a window was located in the cabin's wall at a convenient height. This made it easy to transfer dishes, food, and drinks from within the cabin to the porch and vice versa. The cabin itself was simple. It consisted of 2 rooms that were not interconnected but accessible by 2 separate doors from the outside.
Narrator:The main room, served as a retreat when it rained, contained a cupboard with the necessary kitchen utensils, a few books, a table, a chair, and a gas stove. The second slightly shorter room, which Eugene built a few years later, served as a storage room for gardening equipment, tools, chairs, an umbrella, and the like. To keep moist dirt and animals clear of the cabin and the terrace, the entire construction stood elevated on 4 concrete pillars of about 50 centimeters each. Hence, the 2 doors that gave access to the interior and the veranda as well were reached by a set of removable iron or wooden steps. The terrace was where the couple spent most of their time.
Narrator:They rolled out a carpet, set up a table, chairs, and an umbrella, and relaxed reading books, enjoying simple meals, or playing cards either alone or with visiting friends. When they were still kids, Edith and Robert often spent weekends there as well, but now that they were older, they had other interests and only visited occasionally. But now let us take a closer look at the day prior of the murder, or more exactly at the evening before the incident, June 4 1976. An ordinary Friday. Eugene returned home at around 7 PM, changed into something more casual, and left again shortly after.
Narrator:He was to meet some friends at the local restaurant for supper and then a game of cards. He always played cards on Friday. It would have taken a very important engagement for him to skip that almost sacred event. He had his principles, his routines. One of them was the car being parked in exactly the same position next to the cabin.
Narrator:Another, that the furniture used on the terrace was stored in exactly the same manner and designated area. When Robert, living with his parents at the time, returned home an hour later, his father had already left the apartment. Robert exchanged a few words with his mother, grabbed a few personal things, and left the flat shortly after 8 P. M. He remembers the time exactly because by then his mother was sitting in the living room watching the television series Achtenzagen XY, the equivalent to Crimewatch UK.
Narrator:He said goodbye to his mother and was on his way to his girlfriend Anita, who lived with her parents out in the country in the village of Holstein. However, they were away for the weekend, so the 2 teenagers were looking forward to having the house and the long weekend for themselves. The journey, using public transportation, required Robert to exchange trains once. Altogether, it took him slightly more than an hour to get there. And while Elsa, his mother, watched the true crime program with a certain yet familiar uneasiness, the air was filled with the sweet smell of a freshly baked cake.
Narrator:On the kitchen table stood a sugar glazed birthday cake for Robert's girlfriend, Anita, who turned 20 in 2 days. Robert's mother expected her son and his girlfriend to come over for the occasion. Next to it on the floor stood a basket with food and beverages, as well as a few other things that she had prepared for the Saturday in their weekend cabin. Even though it was still raining that evening, the weather forecast for the weekend finally promised sunshine. When Elsa switched off the TV around 10:30, Robert had arrived at his girlfriend's house.
Narrator:Around midnight, Eugene came home. He noticed the cake and smiled, switched off the lights, locked the door, and went to bed. Eugene Sigrist was employed by a chemical multinational company in Basel. He was a striking and gentlemanly figure. One could easily describe him as a ladiesman.
Narrator:He was also a man of a few words and extremely pedantic. His desk was always perfectly organized, so meticulously tidy that one would have thought there was no one working there at all. His pedantic side can be best understood by the fact that when he constructed the cabin and fitted the wooden plannings, all the slots of the visible screws were pointing in exactly the same direction. But so remembers his son, Robert, his father always had his back as a teenager, be it with regard to his shoulder long hair or him having played a prank with his neighbor. Eugene Siegrist had a certain talent for ridiculing his opponents and their arguments, But he did it with patience and always in a very clever, charming, and decent manner.
Narrator:One anecdote illustrates this wonderfully.
Robert Siegrist:One day, I think I was about 12 years old, we played a prank at our neighbors, a lady that always complained about everything we kids did. So I sneaked up to her bicycle that stood in front of our house, opened the valve, and let the air out of the tires. Unfortunately, she just then appeared and saw me running away just before I could reach the street corner. Sure enough, she showed up at our doorstep in the evening and asked to see my father. He listened patiently while she recounted the happenings, and I stood silently behind the door listening.
Robert Siegrist:When she finally had finished, my father's slightly annoyed expression changed into a broad smirk. He took a breath, shook his head, and said, I've always told my son to run faster.
Narrator:He always was straightforward and said exactly what was on his mind. Something that has not only brought him friends but also enemies. Immediately after the murder, the life and habits of Eugene Siegrist in particular were scrutinized in detail. Based on some rather odd and inexplicable details, investigators concluded that Eugene Siegrist must have had some kind of secret. But what was this secret that generated an enemy or even enemies who did not shy away from murder?
Narrator:On the Friday preceding the murder, before meeting his friends for a game of cards, Eugene was at his office all day. When questioned by the police, his colleagues reported some peculiar observations, however. He was overheard having a phone conversation with a person he referred to as either Claire or Clara. The exchange appeared to be somewhat emotional. And despite fervent efforts, the police were unable to ever identify the elusive person.
Narrator:It was also reported that following the phone call, he was observed writing a letter which he chose not to deposit in the company's tray for outgoing mail. Instead, he held on to it, and it was assumed, chose to bring it to the post office or a letterbox personally. But then maybe the letter was never meant to be mailed. Maybe the envelope was intended for a personal handover. This would especially make sense if the envelope contained money.
Narrator:Following the crime, several women came forward, claiming that Eugene Siegrist had behaved inappropriately, for example, in a street car, raising questions about a potential sexual motive. It was suspected that he had engaged in numerous affairs before and maybe also during his marriage, though whether his wife was aware of them remained unclear. But none of these findings led the police in any way further. What was also established was that Eugene frequently left his home for periods of 1 or 2 hours. The details of his whereabouts and activities during these times remain a mystery.
Narrator:This fueled the suspicion that he might have been seeing someone during this time. But who? A friend? An affair? Eugene Sigrist's strange behavior.
Narrator:The inexplicable absences on the one hand and the events of the telephone call and the letter suggest that there was probably a secret in Eugene's life that nobody knew about or at least nobody that survived the massacre. And if we assume that Eugene was the target of the assassination, which seems relatively obvious, it is reasonable to assume that this secret is in some way connected to the murder. Not much is to be said about his wife, Elsa, who, according to the recollection of her surviving son, was a loving, faithful housewife and caring mother that did not ask too many questions, but was predominantly busy with keeping the apartment up to standards, her husband happy, and the kids in line. Now before we move to the fatal Saturday and the reconstruction of the most likely scenario of the events on that day, we need to understand 2 things. Firstly, it can be safely assumed that the murders happened in 2 sequences.
Narrator:It would have hardly been possible to kill 5 people in one and the same location without at least one of the victims trying to escape or intervene. It is therefore likely, at least in my view, that Eugene and his wife were shot when the other 3 victims, the Westhorizer family, were not yet at the cabin. The murderer or murderers was, respectively, were then surprised by the sudden appearance of Anna Westhauser and her 2 sons. Hence, they were shot in a second sequence of events. Secondly, it is paramount to understand a few basic things about how the weapon used to commit the crime is working and operated.
Narrator:The weapon used, as it was established with 100% certainty, was a modified Huberti Winchester 1866 lever action replica, a so called yellow boy because its metal components were made of bronze and had this yellow tint. The rifle as such may be familiar to many, mainly because it was often pictured in use in Western movies, especially by the actors John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. The particular version used at the Sabin murders, as it was established later, had a manually shortened barrel and sawm of butt. Thus, could accommodate only a maximum of 6 bullets, 1 in its chamberor receiverand 5 in its shortened magazinea separate tube running parallel below the barrel. Following a shot, the lever reaching around the hand is pushed 90 degrees forward.
Narrator:The Winchester thus ejects the used cartridge from the receiver and feeds a new one into it when the lever is pulled back again. The process takes less than a second for an experienced user. As we know, 13 shots were fired. This means that the perpetrator fired 2 times 6 shots and finally one more. Therefore, he had to reload twice.
Narrator:Reloading 6 bullets takes about 10 seconds. Bearing this in mind, let us focus on Saturday, June 5, 1976, the day of the murder, and try to establish a possible sequence on how the crime unfolded. The following reconstruction is based on reports, crime scene drawings, and original photographs by the police. They show the precise positions where the victims were found, the rooms and surroundings. These and more photographs are also available on our website.
Narrator:But a word of caution. Some of the pictures are not for the faint hearted. And finally, one more important explanation. It is only for easier understanding that I will refer to only 1 murderer or perpetrator. This, at no point, rules out the possibility that there were actually more than one person involved.
Narrator:The exact time when Elsa and Eugene departed from their residence in Basel remains elusive, though it is reasonable to presume it happened around noon. Any later departure would have proven giving them insufficient time at the cabin. So they loaded their belongings into Eugene's Opelous Kona, arriving at the cabin within approximately 45 minutes. Due to the need to transport items to the house, Eugene, despite the forest between its edge and the cabin. Exiting the vehicle, they jointly unlocked the door to the storage room.
Narrator:Eugene busied himself with mounting the sharpened blade for the lawnmower he had brought along, while Elsa, taking the key from Eugene, proceeded to the main entrance. She unlocked the door, then entered to release the shutters secured from within. She then went out to the terrace to fasten them to the cabin wall. All the while, unbeknownst to them, a shadowy figure, cloaked within the dense foreboding trees, meticulously observed their every move. The lurking murderer concealed in the darkness knew that dispatching both victims would be easier if they were separated and that he had to use the element of surprise.
Narrator:As he spied Elsa, isolated on the terrace, he recognized the ideal moment he had waited for. Stealthily emerging from the undergrowth, stepping soundlessly across the grass, he ascended the veranda with swiftness. His Winchester loaded, he unleashed 2 shots at the unsuspecting woman from a mere distance of a few meters. The resounding echoes of the shots pierced the silence. Both projectiles found their mark striking Elsa in the head.
Narrator:Life fled from her in an instant. She fell over, sprawled motionless upon the carpet along the cabin wall. The murderer possessed a chilling certainty about the enfolding events. He stepped off the terrace and around the corner of the cabin, anticipating the husband's immediate rush and arrival. And within moments, the alarmed Eugene emerged, gripped by the echoes of the earlier shots.
Narrator:His eyes widened in horror as he beheld his wife's lifeless body on the terrace. He circumvented the terrace, charging towards the rescue of his wife when he was suddenly confronted with the murderer that hid behind the cabin. As Eugene rushed forward undeterred, the perpetrator raised his rifle and unleashed another barrage of 4 shots in rapid succession. The first two found its mark in Eugene's chest and arm. The subsequent 2 struck his head with brutal precision.
Narrator:Eugene collapsed onto the stone slabs in front of the terrace. So far, 6 shots were fired and 2 people dead. The perpetrator, acutely aware of the gravity of his abhorrent act, was resolute in quickly concealing the evidence. He understood that discovery was inevitable, but time was his ally. And the longer it took for their ghastly fate to come to light, the better.
Narrator:Returning to the terrace, he draped Elsa with the remaining carpet. Contrary to common assumption, he did not encase her within the fabric and rolled it up. Satisfied, he retraced his steps to Eugene, dragging the body by its feet into the main room, positioning the head near the door. After securing the entrance, he meticulously surveyed the aftermath. The terrace bore minimal traces of the grim encounter.
Narrator:No telltale signs of blood stained the surface. Most of the crimson fluid that had emanated from Elsa's head had been absorbed by the carpet. Any remnants that had escaped were caught between the gasps of the veranda floor panels. However, a treacherous and large pool of blood awaited him on the stone slabs. Looking around, he chanced upon some folded card bore beneath the cabin.
Narrator:He reached for it and deployed these makeshift materials to shroud the conspicuous pool of blood, masking the evidence beneath it. Yet some traces persisted. Fresh blood stained the wooden steps leading to the cabin's entrance. The exact time the couple was killed could not be established. When the police arrived at the crime scene, most of the shutters were closed.
Narrator:None of the chairs, the table, or the umbrella were installed on the terrace. It can therefore be deducted that the attack must have happened immediately after their arrival. And one more observation is of importance if we want to narrow down the time window. At roughly the same time the shots were fired, Anna Westhauser and her 2 sons, Emmanuel and Max, must have left their house in nearby Hochwald to join the couple at the cabin for their agreed game of cards. And a neighbor reported having seen and greeted them while they were on their way to the cabin, and that was shortly afternoon.
Narrator:It therefore seems very likely that shortly after the execution of Eugene and Elsa, Maybe, even while the murderer was still busy concealing the bodies, he was virtually surprised by the sudden appearance of the old lady and her 2 sons. He certainly did not account for that. But their appearance left him with little choice. He could not possibly let any witnesses alive, regardless if they knew him or not. Once again, he had to take advantage of the element of surprise.
Narrator:Even if they had heard the gunshots during their approach, they certainly did not expect that the shots originated from a cold blooded murder at the cabin. Concealing the meanwhile reloaded weapon behind his back, the perpetrator waited until the 3 were but a few meters away. He then suddenly raised a weapon, aimed at 1 of the 2 men, and fired 2 or 3 more shots, one of them hitting the victim's head, killing him instantly. The few seconds this took was not time enough for the highly perplexed brother, just having witnessed his brother being shot, to grasp the situation, let alone to act accordingly, be it either by attacking the shooter or to run away. Hence, before he could react in any way, he too was shocked.
Narrator:Because a total of 13 cartridges were found with the weapon taking a maximum of 6 cartridges and the old lady later showing only one shot in the forehead, we can assume that altogether another sick shots were fired to kill the 2 brothers. And while the 80 year old lady, unable to run or hide, stood in utter shock and disbelief, the murderer reached for one more cartridge, loaded it into his gun, and fired the final shot. Within an hour or so, 13 shots were fired and 5 people killed. But unexpectedly, the murderer must have found himself thrust into a harrowing quandary. Panic coursed through him realizing that he had to deal with 3 additional bodies, an unforeseen complication that threatened to unravel his carefully laid out plan.
Narrator:With Hayes born out of desperation, he dragged Emil and Max into the storage room and locked the door. Then, with grim determination, he seized Anna Westhauser, the old lady, and dragged her into the main room, placing her atop of her slain brother. Time pressed against him like a weight, each passing second the reminder of the perilous situation he found himself in, the frantic sequence of events dictating his movements. In the span of a mere minutes he had transformed the once serene weekend cabin into a chamber of horror, concealing the evidence of his deeds with calculated efficiency. Yet a chilling realization dawned upon him, the need for a swift departure.
Narrator:His gaze fell upon Eugene's opolis cona, an unexpected opportunity amidst the building chaos. Though not part of his original plan, he returned to Eugene's dead body and with trembling hands snatched the car keys. A few seconds later, he fired up the engine in a desperate pit for escape. Turning around, forest. And when he reached the country road, he turned right, opting for the shadowed safety of the unpaved path through the forest.
Narrator:But the treacherous muddy terrain proved to be challenging. After a few 100 meters, the car slid off the road at a steep section and got stuck in the mud. Adrenaline must have surged through his veins. With a swift improvisation, he deployed some blankets he found in the car under the rear wheels, a makeshift solution in the face of imminent peril. Heart pounding, he accelerated, and to his relief, the car got free and made it up the hill.
Narrator:And as the car vanished into the shroud of the forest mist, it left behind not only 2 blankets in the mud, but also 13 cartridges scattered in the grass and more importantly, 5 dead bodies in a weakened cabin. A scene of tragedy so horrible and unmatched by anything in Switzerland's criminal history that it became entrenched into the nation's collective memory as the most infamous and enduring murder case to date. Do stay connected as we unfold how the investigations got underway and how 2 suspects were questioned and arrested. One of them, the murdered couple's 20 year old son, Robert. This was a day in June, episode 2 of The 7 Murder Mystery, an investigative true crime pod podcast by Playground Media Productions.
Narrator:Produced, written, and hosted by Rudolf Isler. Available on Apple Pod cast or any platform of your preference. Please check out the show notes and do visit our website at Swiss murder mysteries.com for additional information, including maps, original police photographs, and details on how to support the creator of this podcast.