Swiss prosecutors asked to upgrade charges to murder after Crans-Montana bar owners disclosed fire risk in 2019 WhatsApp messages

The WhatsApp warning

On December 13, 2019, in a WhatsApp group with employees, Jessica Moretti wrote a message advising caution with sparkler candles attached to bottles. She warned staff to stay until the candle went out because if it fell on a sofa, the floor, or if held high and it burned the foam, "the Constellation burns." An employee replied "We'll be careful, don't worry," and she sent a thumbs-up emoji. The messages, obtained from the family of server Cyane Panine, who died in the fire, were presented to the couple during a confrontation hearing on June 5, 2026.

If they want sparklers, be very careful, stay until the sparkler goes out because if it falls, on the sofa or on the floor, or if they hold it high and burn the foam, the Constellation burns...

The fire and its cause

In the early hours of January 1, 2026, a fire tore through the Constellation bar basement in the Swiss ski resort. Investigators believe that sparklers from served bottles came into contact with polyurethane acoustic foam on the ceiling, triggering the deadly blaze. The inferno killed 41 people and injured 115, many of them foreign tourists. Among the dead was Cyane Panine, a 24-year-old French-Swiss waitress, whose family is now represented by lawyer Sophie Haenni.

Push for upgraded charges

The existing charges against Jacques and Jessica Moretti, the French couple who owned and operated the bar, are for negligent homicide. After seeing the messages, lawyers Haenni and Ludovic Tirelli, representing multiple families, wrote to the Valais public prosecutor's office requesting the charges be reclassified to "meurtre par dol éventuel" (murder with eventual intent). Under Swiss criminal law, this applies when a person does not intend the outcome but seriously considers and accepts the risk. If convicted, the Morettis could face up to 20 years in prison.

This WhatsApp exchange proves that the Moretti couple was perfectly aware of the acoustic foam's high flammability. Yet they still asked Cyane to climb onto an employee's shoulders with bottles covered in candles in her hands.

The June 5 confrontation

At the hearing, prosecutors confronted the Morettis with the 2019 messages. According to the public broadcaster RTS, the exchange left little room for ambiguity. Haenni argues the messages show the couple knew the bar could catch fire and accepted the risk, moving the case beyond negligence. The public prosecutor's office has not yet decided whether to accept the request. If charges are elevated, the Morettis could face the harsher penalty.