Jill Dando may have been killed by mistake by a Russian hitman who meant to target another BBC journalist, documents submitted to a Paris court suggest.
Court papers claim the killer was hired by French fashion mogul Gerald Marie, accused of multiple counts of sexual assault, to murder another BBC journalist Lisa Brinkworth after she went undercover to expose his agency, Elite Model Management.
But the hitman could have mistaken Jill Dando for the actual target, the documents say.
Lawyers reportedly argue the mix up may have been due to the similarities in the appearance of the two journalists, their occupation, and the fact they both lived in the same area of London.
It was also said that Jill's fiance, Alan Farthing, was Lisa's doctor.
Lawyers in the documents refer to a conversation witnessed by former Elite executive Omar Harfouch in which Marie ordered a member of the Russian mafia to 'deal with a problem,' reports the Daily Mail.
The documents from French law firm Bourdon Associes reportedly say: "Shortly thereafter… a BBC journalist, Jill Dando, was shot dead in April 1999.
"Indeed, these two journalists were in their thirties, were blonde with the same facial features, of the same height and of similar stature.
"They lived close to each other and had people in common, including the husband of Jill Dando."
In a crime that shocked the nation, TV favourite Jill was gunned down in the middle of the day on her doorstep in Fulham, London, on April 26, 1999.
The brutal slaying of the Crimewatch presenter remains one of the most infamous unsolved crimes in the UK of the last 20 years.
One of Jill's neighbours found her lifeless body outside her London home at around midday on the day she was shot.
Barry George was found guilty of Jill's murder in 2001.
He spent seven years in prison before his acquittal in 2008.
Now more than two decades later, the case remains unsolved.
A spokesman from the Met Police told The Mirror: "The investigation into the murder of Ms Dando remains open, as with all murder investigations.
"We will always explore any new information which may become available."
