Stéphane Haremza and his wife Isabelle were long-time friends of David Hotyat and Alexandra Lefevre, all originally from Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. In the early 2000s, the Haremza couple frequently visited or stayed with the Hotyat couple after they relocated to the Haute-Savoie region. While not much is known about Stéphane’s early life or profession, it is clear that he became entangled in criminal activity shortly after reconnecting with Hotyat.

At the time of the murders, Stéphane and Isabelle were considered close allies of Hotyat and Lefevre. Their relationship extended beyond friendship—into shared resentment, jealousy, and possibly a collective grudge toward Xavier Flactif, a successful real estate developer and the couple’s landlord. Court evidence and tapped phone calls revealed that the Haremzas participated in conversations that included plans for revenge against Flactif and showed complicity in helping plan the crime.

On 11 April 2003, David Hotyat murdered Xavier Flactif, Graziella Ortolano, and their three children in their chalet in Le Grand-Bornand, Haute-Savoie. While Stéphane Haremza did not physically take part in the murders, he was found guilty of actively helping plan the crime and conceal the evidence afterward.

Following the murders, Stéphane and his wife Isabelle were implicated through telephone surveillance and interviews. According to investigators, they were involved in discussions leading up to the killings, possibly influenced by a documentary on serial killer Alfredo Stranieri, which Hotyat had watched months earlier. Stéphane was seen as someone who didn’t stop the crime even when he had knowledge of the plan.

In addition to helping plan the murders, Stéphane was convicted for receiving stolen property, including electronics and personal items belonging to the Flactifs, and for being part of the cover-up operation, which included transporting the bodies and setting them on fire in the nearby woods of Thônes.

The motive shared by the group was largely rooted in jealousy, resentment, and revenge over the Flactif family’s wealth, lifestyle, and status. The crime shocked France for its brutality and the involvement of multiple ordinary-seeming individuals.

On 30 June 2006, Stéphane Haremza was convicted of complicity in premeditated murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison by the Assize Court of Haute-Savoie in Sevrier. His wife Isabelle Haremza received a 7-year sentence, and their close friends David Hotyat and Alexandra Lefevre were sentenced to life imprisonment and 10 years, respectively.

Stéphane did not appeal his sentence. He, along with the rest of the group, was also convicted in separate proceedings for arson—having helped set fire to a chalet under construction belonging to Xavier Flactif in the year prior—as well as for multiple thefts and burglaries around Le Grand-Bornand.

As of now, Stéphane Haremza is presumed released, as his 15-year sentence would have ended by 2021, depending on parole eligibility and time served since his 2003 arrest.