A 55-year-old man died last weekend in Ganshoren following a violent altercation with his 43-year-old roommate. The latter has been remanded in custody by the investigating judge, Het Nieuwsblad and La Capitale reported on Tuesday. The Brussels public prosecutor's office confirmed the information.

According to these media outlets, it was the 43-year-old roommate who contacted emergency services Sunday at midday, explaining that he had woken up next to his deceased friend without knowing what had happened. During his police interview, however, the man stated that he remembered an argument having broken out between him and the victim the previous evening. The exact circumstances and motive for this altercation remain unclear.

“Violent death”

“On Sunday, January 4, around noon, the Brussels-West police district (Jette/Ganshoren/Koekelberg/Molenbeek-Saint-Jean/Berchem-Sainte-Agathe) was called to an apartment in Ganshoren where a man had reportedly been found dead,” the Brussels public prosecutor's office stated. “At the scene, officers discovered the body of a 55-year-old man.”

The public prosecutor's office and the investigating judge went to the scene. The federal judicial police laboratory and a forensic pathologist were also appointed to continue the investigation. "The initial findings of the investigation indicate that the victim died a violent death. A suspect was brought before the investigating judge, who charged him with voluntary homicide and issued an arrest warrant," the public prosecutor's office added.

Both were known in the neighborhood and had struggled with alcohol. The suspect, KM, had recently been evicted from his apartment in Neder-Over-Heembeek and had found temporary accommodation with his friend CP in Ganshoren.