Twins are truly fascinating on a myriad of levels. Although the number of twins born is climbing because of factors like infertility treatments, identical twins aren’t as commonplace. Identical twins are the product of one sperm fertilizing one egg that then splits into two. As a result, the two separate humans actually share the same DNA, challenging our ideas of genetics, identity, and more. The likelihood of having identical twins is about one in 250, or 0.5%, reports the BBC.
In literature, twins are a concept often used as either an eerie presence or a comedic relief, but when identical twins choose to lead a life of crime in the real world, it can wreak havoc on the justice system. In fact, French authorities are still grappling with a double murder case involving identical twins whose DNA has complicated the investigation, according to People.
Identical twin brothers Samuel and Jérémy Y. are part of a five-person murder investigation. The two stand accused of killing two women, Tidiane B., 17, and Sofiane M., 25, on September 14, 2020, in Saint-Ouen, a northern suburb of Paris, as well as the attempted murder of six others. According to authorities as reported by the French language media outlet Liberation, the twins are accused of plotting the young women’s murders.
DNA was identified on the gun used to kill them, but considering the two share the same DNA, no one can discern who the actual perpetrator was. The crime is said to be associated with a drug-dealing ring the twins were involved in.
“Only their mother can tell them apart,” an investigator said during the trial at Seine-Saint-Denis Assize Court, north of Paris, the BBC reported.
Other local reports stated that the twins have been using their identical appearance and DNA throughout their alleged criminal activities, swapping clothes, ID documentation, and phones.
“They exchange clothes as well as telephone lines and identity documents. For a very long time, they have exploited this twinship in their criminal careers. Only their mother could tell them apart,” affirmed the chief commander of the criminal brigade to Blue News.
In an effort to uncover the truth, investigators have been closely watching surveillance footage and wiretaps so they can correctly identify the brothers. Their trial is expected to conclude at the end of February.
This is not the first time twin DNA has hindered an investigation. In Virginia, a 1987 cold case regarding the rape of a woman at a gas station hit a snag when investigator discovered DNA from a twin.
