The machinations of the devil or a gay scandal: why the commander of the Pope's guard, Alois Estermann, was shot

On the night of May 4, 1998 in The 31st commander of the papal Swiss Guard, Alois Estermann, was killed in the Vatican. Next to the commander lay the corpse of his wife Gladys Romero and 23-year-old Guardsman Corporal Cedric Thorne, who allegedly shot the couple. Many rumors have arisen around the tragedy, and the chief exorcist of the Vatican, Gabriele Amorta, called it the machinations of the devil himself.

Alois Estermann came from a family of simple Swiss peasants and was a real soldier. He independently learned four languages and, when he was a simple guardsman, during the attempt on John Paul II, he covered him with his body. Over the years of impeccable service, Alois rose through the ranks, and in 1998 he was appointed commander of the papal guard.

Cedric Thorne, Alois Estermann, Gladys Romero, killed on May 4, 1998

Estermann stayed at the post for several hours and was shot and killed with his wife in his home. The crime was committed by Corporal Cedric Thorne, who, according to the investigation, did it out of revenge. The commander excluded him from the list of guards presented for the award. The award ceremony was held annually on May 6 on Guards Day.

Estermann and his wife accept the pope's blessing

Cedric decided to investigate and took a service revolver, killed the Estermanns, and then shot himself. The investigation lasted 9 months, and the main argument of Thorne's guilt was a letter that he sent to his mother before the crime. In it, he wrote that Estermann was mocking him and the guy decided to punish the commander.

According to one version, Alois Estermann was a homosexual and seduced a young corporal. After a short relationship, they broke up, but Thorne fell in love with the commander and killed him and his wife out of jealousy. French journalist Victor Gitard believes that the commander of the papal Swiss before the collapse of the Socialist bloc was a spy for the GDR intelligence "Stasi" and was executed as a dangerous witness.

Researcher John Follain wrote in the book "Hail of Secrets" that the murder is connected with banal hazing. Cedric Thorne belonged to the French-speaking minority, while in the guard the majority of Swiss came from German cantons. Estermann constantly bullied the corporal, intimidated and insulted him. The last straw was the exclusion of Cedric from the list of awarding the medal, which is due to all guardsmen who have served for 3 years.

The mother of the "killer" Mugette Boda wrote her own letter to the head of the Vatican and demanded to tell her the truth about her son. The woman had a reason to write these lines. She literally stole the body and sent it for an independent examination to the Lausanne Institute of Forensic Medicine.

Mugette Boda with a photo of her dead son

On April 27, 2002, the lawyers of Mugette Boda held a press conference in Rome and presented the results of the autopsy from Lausanne. According to the conclusion of the Swiss forensic physician Thomas Krompecher, at the time of suicide, Cedric was unconscious. Before being shot in the head, he was hit in the temple, which caused his aorta to burst and the guardsman's lungs filled with blood. The injury led to a deep coma.

Coffins of those killed during the funeral service

However, this is not all. Estermann and his wife were shot with 9.41 mm cartridges. Thorne has an exit wound on the back of his head, left by a 7.65 mm bullet. Cedric's front teeth have chipped edges, as if they were damaged by the barrel of a gun.

The ceremony of taking the oath of the Swiss Guards

The conclusion is clear: Thorne did not shoot himself, he was also killed. There are also inconsistencies in Cedric's last letter to his mother. In it, he calls his sister by the name of Melindra, although he used to write only "Dada". It was the girl's family nickname. He also calls the Pope by name, although he used to write exclusively "Holy Father".

Pope John Paul II, during whose reign there was a murder

Journalist Valeska von Roques believes that the commander, his wife and a young corporal were victims of the power struggle of the Vatican's secret groups. Alois Estermann was a member of the Opus Dei organization and wanted to increase the influence of the Swiss Guard. His plans did not like the papal gendarmerie, which mostly consisted of Italians and some of the highest Catholic dignitaries, especially in financial circles.

Vatican Gendarmerie Officers

Colleagues of Alois Estermann claimed that before his death, the commander was confused and said that documents were missing from his office. It was about a plan for a radical reform of the Swiss Guard and a report on the case of Emanuela Orlandi — the 15-year-old daughter of Ecrol Orlandi, a Vatican employee, who disappeared under strange circumstances on June 23, 1983.

Swiss guards carry the coffin with the body of the commander

In response, Alois ordered to strengthen the verification regime inside the Vatican. The Swiss blocked the Pope, which was not liked by other Vatican influence groups. After such a demarche, Estermann and his wife were executed by unknown conspirators. The death of Cedric Thorne was needed to connect the case with "everyday life", but not with politics and hostility within the Vatican. However, this is only one of the versions.