Rafiou Sow, the prime suspect in the 2007 murder of his wife Rachelle Wrathmall in Sherbrooke, Quebec, was arrested Friday night at his home in Conakry, Guinea, according to La Presse. Sow, now 49, leads a fringe political party in Guinea and had been evading justice for nearly 19 years.
Flight from justice
Surveillance footage from Montreal's Dorval Airport captured Sow on June 28, 2007, at the Royal Air Maroc counter. He had no baggage or reservation, paid for a one-way ticket to Casablanca in cash, and boarded the flight. Not far from the airport, police discovered the abandoned Jeep belonging to Wrathmall, 31, whose stabbed body had been found the previous day.
Wrathmall married Sow in 2006, hoping to help him obtain Canadian citizenship. However, friends and family described Sow as jealous and manipulative. They urged her to leave him, but she was trapped in a cycle of domestic violence.
Botched investigation
The case was hampered early on by a pathologist's error. The pathologist claimed Wrathmall died the morning her body was discovered, but Sow had fled to Casablanca the previous day. As a result, the prosecutor refused to lay charges.
“The pathologist misled us, because she said that the death dated back to more or less 12 hours ago,” said Jacques Lavigne, a former Sûreté du Québec investigator. He recalled preparing a detailed PowerPoint presentation of circumstantial evidence for prosecutor Hélène Fabi. “She wouldn’t listen. … She said: ‘Your case is like a piece of Swiss cheese, it’s full of holes…’”
Arrest and extradition
Sow's arrest came two days after Guinea's public prosecutor announced a judicial probe targeting him. In Guinea, courts have jurisdiction to try serious crimes committed abroad. Depending on the investigation, Sow could be tried for Wrathmall's murder in Africa. The Sûreté du Québec says it will cooperate with Guinean police if they request assistance through Interpol. Wrathmall's family has indicated willingness to testify.
When a La Presse reporter confronted Sow in Guinea, he denied ever being married to Wrathmall, a Canada Revenue Agency employee and Bishop's University graduate, before cutting off the interview.
Family relief
Friends and family are reportedly delighted that the noose is tightening on Sow, whom they believed was untouchable for years. “Once you add up all the circumstances, it’s clear it’s him. But that still won’t be enough to accuse him,” said Éric Bolduc, head of the cold case unit at the Sûreté du Québec.
