Philippe Chagniot, a 68-year-old landlord accused of killing his tenant in the Outer Sunset earlier this month, pleaded not guilty Friday to murder, arson and weapons charges in connection with what prosecutors have described as a planned ambush of Eric Bigone.
Chagniot, a retired dentist, appeared in custody in San Francisco Superior Court. His attorney, Michael Cardoza, entered pleas of “not guilty” for all charges, and agreed to postpone the next step in the process, a preliminary hearing, that will require prosecutors to present enough evidence for the case to proceed.
Chagniot will remain in jail for now. Prosecutors filed a motion to detain, and his defense did not ask for him to be released on bail, though his attorney can ask for bail at a later hearing.
Chagniot is accused of killing 58-year-old Eric Bigone on May 17. In court, the judge read from charging documents, which allege that he killed Bigone with a MAC-10 machine gun after lying in wait for him outside the house Bigone had rented from Chagniot since 2023.
According to a press release from the DA’s office, Bigone’s killer approached his house on a bicycle around 5am, spray-painted over several nearby security cameras, set a fire on the roof of Bigone’s car, then shot Bigone when he left the house to investigate. SFPD was able to use surveillance equipment and FLOCK cameras to track the cyclist’s path to a nearby car, and then track that car to Chagniot’s residence in Ingleside, where they found a machine gun, silencer, and high-capacity magazine.
Bigone had spoken to friends about problems with his landlord, including that the property owner wanted to sell the house but did not want to pay him to relocate, according to a friend who spoke to Mission Local on condition of anonymity.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive.
Bigone worked as a laborer for the SFPUC and was remembered by friends as a loyal presence in the neighborhood. He loved boxing and helped set up an amateur boxing ring at the United Irish Cultural Center for the past five years.
The case is expected to return to court Aug. 24.