The Articles

Life Before - Samuel Eglebert's Flatmate Interviewed

7th of December 2020

Oxane was interviewed by Louis Gaubert about an incident concerning Samuel E., with whom she shared an apartament. Before revealing what occurred, some information relating to his background was relayed to the interview in order to paint a clearer picture.

Oxane: I used to go to school everyday with him. We cycled side by side on the thin bicycle path, pedalling furiously against the whistling wind or sweating profusely under the sun, our sticky clothes heavy on our skin. We had the strangest conversations together.

They've known each other since the third grade. Samuel E. moved into her neighbourhood in 2009, right after his mother found a job in a local pharmaceutical company.

Oxane: After school, we had activities at the same club, so we also cycled back home together once the day was over. He finished basketball at six and I had tennis from five to quarter past six. It stayed this way for five years. After that, we were too focused on our studies to bother with sports competitions and after-school activities. We met up at my house to do homework and revise for tests. He wanted to get into engineering, and I wanted to go into medicine, or something healthcare related.

In 2019 Samuel E. started his engineering course at the University of C. He successfully completed the first year with outstanding results on his exams. During the pandemic, Oxane needed a place to stay as she had ended her one-year contract with the University accommodation supplier, so she contacted Samuel E. and they decided to move in together in a flat where they could socially distance and study not too far from their campus in case the course resumed its normal functioning.

Oxane: Living with him wasn't a problem. Actually, I felt the most comfortable I'd ever been. We woke up at eight or nine, chatted before lectures, discussed our homework, helped each other out, cooked together, watched TV shows in the tiny living room, collected plants together... It was the greatest time of my life. He was really sweet too. I thought he liked me as more than just as a friend. I did. He was caring, he hugged me when I felt homesick or sad, he made me feel safe... I just don't know what I would have done in his absence. His presence became as vital as water to me. His words were food for my soul and his smiles medicine for my trouble. I developed an insatiable hunger for his kindness. The more he gave, the more I needed him. We were almost fused together. I lived vicariously through him. I'd never really had such a great feeling of connection with anyone until he walked into my life when I was eight years old. During the pandemic, it just became clear to me that he was my world, his eyes were the stars guiding me in the night until the morning sun came back up. How could I be without my other half? I didn't know, or want to imagine, what it would be like to exist without him.

In October of 2020, Samuel E. was cycling back home when a motorcycle ran into him. Luckily, he did not sustain any serious injuries as the motorcycle had braked before hitting him, so that he only fell off his bicycle and scratched his knee. Samuel E. asked not to be assisted by the motorcycle driver and made his way back to the flat where Oxane was finishing her assignment. Three blocks before the apartment building where they lived, Samuel E. was seen on camera being stopped by a man with a bulldog on a leash. The mysterious man wore a black beanie, sunglasses and a hoodie, making him unrecognisable. His height was recorded as being somewhere between 178 and 182 centimetres by the police in charge of the investigation. Samuel E. and the mysterious man exchanged a few words before the latter drew a knife and jammed it into his chest multiple times (three stab wounds were counted), then ran away as Samuel called for help.

Oxane: Samuel had never been the type of guy to draw the attention of a sketchy crowd. He seemed to me like a good guy with his head screwed on right, not the sort of type who gets caught up in messy business. I don't know why he got stabbed. Maybe he was mistaken for someone else, or he was crossing the wrong neighbourhood at the wrong time. I honestly don't believe he was involved with any of the local gang feuds. Especially not with any drugs. He was always your classic law-abiding citizen. You know, careful not to do anything wrong.

No evidence of his being involved with any sort of criminal activity was found. A drug search was done in his flat, to no avail. His history was dug up and his university tutor was interrogated, but nothing incriminating was uncovered. The cameras only show him going to class and leaving class, or going to shops. On the day of the attack, Samuel E. was returning from a shopping trip. He was wearing a surgical mask and used hand sanitiser appropriately, as per national recommendations. He wore a bicycle helmet while cycling.

Oxane: I'm still waiting for him to wake up. I was so devastated when I found out that he was in the hospital, hemorrhaging, getting oxygen supplied to him because one of his lungs had been punctured by the knife, and, subsequently, had collapsed. The pillars that had held me up suddenly collapsed under the weight of my desperation. I would have certainly ended my life then and there.

Samuel E. was rushed into the hospital after Madame Citronelli, who'd heard him calling out for help as she was watering her plants on the balcony, called the emergency number. Her husband contacted the police while the medical team rushed him into surgery.

Oxane: At first, his family cried with me. Then they started blaming me for the incident, saying I'd sent him to the shops on purpose so I could get rid of him. They declared that "I'd always been a suspicious character" and that "I couldn't be trusted". How could I have known this would occur? My mind was distraught, I had just lost the love of my life, and they were blaming me? I hope he wakes up so we can all hear the true story straight from his mouth. I want him to come back. Every day now feels empty and meaningless... We were so close.

Samuel E. is still recovering physically, but the shock was so severe that he slipped into a coma. The medical team in charge of his case believe that he might wake up soon but do not want to give his family any false hope. They cannot promise whether he will retain any memories of the attack, or if he will recognise the attacker.

***

Fortunate Recovery, Attacker Found?

12th of January 2021

Samuel E. has just woken up from a three-month coma. He is still feeling extremely tired and requires physiotherapy to walk again, as his muscles have wasted, but he has been described as being "mentally unchanged" and the clinical psychologist treating him told one of our journalists that he has "retained his cognitive abilities". Samuel Eglebert will be discharged after the physiotherapy is completed and the psychiatry team deems him fit to get back to university, the doctor in charge (who wishes to remain anonymous) has stated.

Samuel's flatmate, Oxane Pellier, has declared she is innocent and that all the accusations made by his family are false. Upon questioning, it was revealed that the attacker was a classmate who'd been threatening him verbally for weeks because of an incident that had taken place at the Queen's Head pub where Samuel had kissed his girlfriend while drunk. Despite the apologetic letters and the numerous texts explaining what had happened, the classmate had not forgiven him for the mishap and Samuel became his target. The attacker will remain anonymous, as per Samuel Eglebert's request, but we can declare that he is a twenty-two year old student in the engineering course at the same university. All other information is confidential.

Oxane and Samuel E. have announced that they are now officially together and that now that the issue has been resolved, they would like no more attention from the media. This article will perhaps be the last one published on Samuel's case.