A San Francisco landlord allegedly killed his tenant, and now his family is renting out the home for nearly double the price

Prosecutors say retired dentist Philippe Chagniot, 68, set fire to his tenant’s car early on May 17, then shot the man twice from behind with a silenced, fully automatic Mac-10 as he came outside to deal with the flames, according to the New York Post. The tenant, 58-year-old Eric Bigone, died at the scene in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset District.

Investigators say Chagniot had spray-painted nearby surveillance cameras beforehand and was seen biking away afterward. He was arrested May 27, charged with murder, arson and multiple firearms offenses, and is being held without bail. Bigone had rented the home since 2023 and paid $3,200 a month.

His son, Dino Bigone, filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging Chagniot and his wife spent months pressuring his father to leave, including refusing rent payments, issuing eviction threats, and falsely claiming they would use California’s Ellis Act to remove the property from the rental market.

What the Ellis Act actually requires

The Ellis Act lets landlords exit the rental business entirely and evict tenants to do so, but it comes with its own legal requirements, including advance notice and relocation payments, and doesn’t apply to a landlord simply wanting a different tenant. A judge has blocked the family from selling the property while the case proceeds, but allowed them to rent it out. The listing, held by the Chagniot 2007 Family Trust, is now priced at $6,300 a month, down from an initial $8,000 ask.

One woman who toured the home told the San Francisco Standard she grew suspicious after seeing it was owned by a family trust, then found news coverage of the killing online. “I wasn’t looking for if someone was killed in the lease,” she said. “My money would presumably be benefiting this family.” A neighbor also expressed outrage over the listing. Chagniot pleaded not guilty at a hearing in late May.

That’s also why the broker, Renee Engelen, says she’s disclosing the killing to tenants in the lease, though she’s said the law only requires disclosing a crime on a property within two years, and that this one technically doesn’t apply since the shooting happened on the sidewalk rather than inside the home. Dino Bigone and attorneys for both men did not respond to requests for comment on the listing.

Separately, the murder charge against Chagniot includes a special-circumstance allegation of lying in wait, which under California Penal Code Section 190.2 could raise his sentence from 25 years to life up to life without the possibility of parole if a jury finds it true.