New S.F. Police Chief's Decision to 'Prioritize' de La Plaza Case Comes as Surprise to Slain Frenchman's Family, Friends -- No One Told Them

Hugues de la Plaza

​The San Francisco Examiner last week reported that newly minted Police Chief George Gascon will be making time to personally look into a case that has spurred European mothers to urge their children to avoid vacationing in San Francisco and go someplace safe -- like the Middle East.

We've written plenty about the Hugues de La Plaza case -- but we'll do our best to sum it up succinctly. Nearly three years ago, dual French citizen de La Plaza was found dead in his Hayes Valley apartment, stabbed three times by a large knife that was nowhere to be found on the scene. The San Francisco police department speculated he killed himself -- and somehow cleaned or disposed of the knife -- a finding bolstered by the medical examiner's ruling de La Plaza's cause of death was "undetermined." Armed with a federal judge's order, French authorities packed the forensic evidence back to Paris -- where experts ruled, unambiguously, that this was a murder. De La Plaza's family and friends charge the San Francisco Police Department with negligence -- and that's when they're being polite.

Gascon's interest was news to de La Plaza's parents in France and his former girlfriend, Melissa Nix, who has spearheaded the effort to hold the SFPD accountable in this case. While Nix is pleased by Gascon's words, she's waiting to see what actions are forthcoming. And there are more than a few specific actions she'd like to see. 

The first thing that'd make Nix's day is for Gascon to declare, once and for all, that Hugues de La Plaza was murdered -- and that the SFPD made grave errors on this case.

The second thing she'd like to see is for Gascon to retreive every last document in this case and give them to new investigators "not invested in the status quo -- an endlessly open case in which no work is being done whatsoever."

And, finally, the French medical examiners found a contusion on de La Plaza's right forearm and requested the shirt he was wearing on the night of his death so they can analyze it for DNA evidence. Nix says that shirt is still sitting in a San Francisco evidence locker. "I'd like [the SFPD] to give up the goddamn shirt," she says.

Nix wishes Gascon luck, but isn't holding her breath.

"It'd be an amazing feat if one man can overhaul the culture of this police department," she said.