San Francisco prosecutors uncovered a horrific murder plot allegedly hatched by a wealthy landlord determined to get rid of his longtime tenant – by any means necessary.
Retired dentist Philip Chagneot, who managed his family’s rental properties in San Francisco’s quiet Sunset Beach neighborhood, was desperate to sell a $1.3 million single-family home and resorted to terrifying measures to empty the property, allegedly orchestrating an elaborate ambush plot before murdering his tenant, 58-year-old Eric Pigeon, in cold blood in an early morning execution.
A source in the neighborhood told The Post that Bigone and Chagniot have been “boosted” in recent months about a potential buyout package — as local tenant laws require landlords to offer money to tenants, sometimes totaling tens of thousands of dollars, in many eviction cases.
Biegun reportedly “knew his rights” and had turned to a lawyer to come up with an exit package.
The 944-square-foot home, owned by a trust linked to Chagneau’s wife, has risen to $1.3 million in the San Francisco real estate market, where tiny homes on the residential beach regularly sell for more than $1 million, records show.
Rental files with the city show a property matching the home’s description bringing in more than $3,250 a month in rent for the comfortable home.
Chagniot – A household name in the community who attended the University of San Francisco and sent his children to St. Ignatius College Prep Exclusive – He reportedly “lost control” over his wife’s cancer diagnosis before donning a mask to kill his tenant just after 5am on May 17.
The deranged former dentist then donned “dark clothing and a mask” and sprayed several surveillance cameras in the area in an attempt to evade detection, before approaching the home at 2518 46th Avenue, prosecutors said.
Chagniot allegedly lit a fire “on top of a car” in front of Pigeon’s home while he was preparing for his job at the Public Utilities Commission, where he earned nearly $130,000 a year as a public worker, in an attempt to lure him out.
Chagneau then “hid to the side,” prosecutors said, before shooting Bigoni in the back of the head with a “silenced, fully automatic Mac-10” handgun.
He then “accidentally” got on the bike, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.
Chagniot was arrested in the alleged murder with the help of Flock Safety cameras in the area, which cops used to identify his bike and car and track his movements.
Surveillance photos obtained by The Post show a hooded intellectual figure stalking the quiet street with a long gun.
Oddly enough, Chagniot was involved in a separate murder case in 2006 that led to the conviction of Joseph Cua, a San Mateo man, for the murder of an elderly couple whose estate he managed. Cua, who maintained his innocence, claimed in the case of CPetition to the California Court of Appeals That Chagniot gave false testimony during the trial.
Pigeon, a neighborhood resident who grew up in the area, is said to have “turned his life around” after getting into trouble as a young man once serving prison time for a 2004 DUI manslaughter case.
His grief-stricken family and friends joined in paying tribute to Bigone.
“He was a giving person. Even when I was sick, he would come to my house every weekend – sometimes staying the night just to make sure I was okay,” Pigeon’s mother later said.The last memorial Led by the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
“He was a wonderful father and grandfather. He loved his family dearly, and they loved him.”
Chagniot faces murder, waiting, arson and firearms charges.