A former spy has been detained in connection with the shooting death of his stepmother, a baroness and art collector, who was killed in front of her residence.
On March 29, Myriam Ullens de Schooten, 70, was fatally shot in the Belgian village of Ohain, Lasne Municipality, in what appears to have been an inheritance dispute.
She was married to Baron Guy Ullens de Schooten, an 88-year-old wealthy industrialist from one of the wealthiest families in Belgium.
His son, Nicolas Ullens, 58, a former agent of the Belgian State Security, was detained by police after being apprehended in connection with the murder.
He is said to have shot the German-born victim while she was sitting beside his father in a VW Golf.
The baron is in hospital after being struck in the leg by one of the bullets.
According to the Derniere Heure newspaper, Ullens handed himself into police saying he had killed his stepmother in a ‘family conflict’.
Baron Guy Ullens de Schooten was reportedly worth €3 billion back in 2011.
He took over the family business, Raffinerie tirlemontoise, in 1973 before eventually selling it to a German firm, successfully reinvesting in agriculture businesses and taking over Weight Watchers International.
But local media reports suggest his fortunes had taken a downturn in recent years.
Myriam was an entrepreneur and fashion brand founder who, with her family, financed development projects in Nepal.
In 2006, she founded the Mimi Ullens Foundation, which opened wellness centres for cancer patients in five Belgian hospitals.
She once said about having breast cancer: ‘For the first time, you are confronted with your own mortality.
‘You may still have fortunes, but if you die six months later, you have nothing. Dans la vie, on nous donne rien.’
Her high-end fashion company has three stores – in Paris, France, and New York City and Aspen, USA.
When Queen Mathilde of Belgium wore clothing from Maison Ullens during a state visit to China, she described it as ‘a nice compliment’.