Born November 24, 1905, in Geneva, Pierre Jaccoud was a well-connected lawyer-politician, serving as Vice President of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce and president of the Geneva bar. He represented celebrities like Aly Khan and Rita Hayworth and was deeply embedded in Geneva’s banking class. He had a long-standing affair with Linda Baud (“Poupette”), a radio station executive. Baud later left him for André Zumbach — son of Charles.

Late on May 1, 1958, Charles Zumbach, a 62‑year‑old machinery dealer in Plan‑les‑Ouates, was ambushed at home. Shots were fired, his wife was wounded, and he was stabbed and shot multiple times. The assailant then fled on a bicycle.

Suspicion fell on Jaccoud after Zumbach’s son revealed two silent calls from an unknown caller (allegedly Jaccoud) that night. Authorities discovered incriminating evidence in Jaccoud’s absence: bloodstains on a coat, a Moroccan dagger with liver cells, a missing button, and his bicycle — but all disputed due to shared blood type and questionable forensic methods.

Jaccoud was tried in Geneva starting January 18, 1960. His defense, led by high-profile lawyers René Floriot and Raymond Nicolet, questioned the weak evidence — and noted the victim’s wife failed to identify him in a line-up. After a three-hour jury deliberation, he was found guilty of manslaughter (“simple homicide”) and sentenced to seven years — time already served was credited.

Jaccoud served his sentence in a psychiatric hospital and prison, gaining parole in March 1963. His appeals persisted until 1980, when the final court refused retrial. He died quietly in 1996 .