Hamza Boussefi (Arab: حمزة بوسفي) was the victim in Killing Spring (Case #9 of World Edition).
Profile
Hamza was the leader of the protest movement attempting to overthrow Sultan Mahmoud. He donned a tan coat, brown pants, boots, and a blue scarf around his head. He also had dark brown eyes and a stubble.
Murder details
Hamza was found dead in an oasis with a bullet wound in his head. An autopsy from Angela confirmed that he was killed by a gunshot wound to the back of the head, most likely from a service rifle. She also managed to find traces of couscous on the victim's carotid artery on his neck. She believed it meant the killer check Hamza's pulse, leaving grains behind. This meant that Hamza's killer ate couscous.
After a second visit to the oasis (before the Sultan closed the scene as he announced), Carmen and the player found a disassembled service rifle. They placed the pieces back together and sent the assembled rifle to Lars for an analysis. After testing the bullet impacts on several objects, Lars managed to deduce the service rifle was the murder weapon used to off Hamza. Basing himself on the angle in which the bullet entered Hamza's body, the forensic expert calculated the killer was 5'6" tall.
Relationship with suspects
Hamza threatened to hurt his wife, Fatima Boussefi, because she had asked him to stop partaking in the protests after learning of her pregnancy. Fatima also knew of The Sword bribing Hamza to radicalize and lead the protests. It was known that American journalist Thomas Cox had an interview lined up with Hamza about the protests. Meanwhile, teenager Benjamin Scott had sent Hamza a photo of him holding a (plastic) rifle to convince the victim that he was strong enough to partake in the protests. However, Omar Bahir thought of Hamza as a coward who was not afraid to risk others' lives but was hesitant to risk his own for the cause. Sultan Mahmoud, meanwhile, claimed to have invited Hamza to his palace to offer him a position in the ministry. He had also issued a death sentence against Hamza for throwing paint at him while he was fishing.
Killer and motives
The killer turned out to be Thomas.
Thomas denied involvement first but soon admitted to the crime. During their interview at the oasis, Hamza handed Thomas his rifle because the latter wanted to get a feel for it. When Thomas grabbed the weapon, it accidentally fired at Hamza, killing him. Thomas then seized the opportunity to create a news story blaming the Sultan for the death. Judge Adaku sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
Case appearances
- Killing Spring (Case #9 of World Edition)
