Lawsuit alleges Sunset landlord murdered tenant
Neal Wong • July 2026 Issue • Published in The Sunset Beacon
In May, 58-year-old Eric Bigone was fatally shot outside his home on 46th Avenue in the Outer Sunset. His landlord, Philippe Chagniot, was later arrested and charged with the murder.
Eric Bigone’s son has filed a wrongful death lawsuit accusing Chagniot of carrying out the killing to clear the home for sale.
Dino Bigone filed the complaint in June against Phillipe Chagniot and his wife, Barbara Chagniot, individually and as trustees of the couple’s 2007 family trust. Bigone is seeking damages and a court order blocking the sale of several properties the family owns.
According to the complaint, Eric Bigone had been renting the single-family home at 2518 46th Ave. since 2023 for $3,200 a month, paid in cash at the landlords’ insistence so the income could be kept off their tax filings. Beginning in January, the complaint alleges, the Chagniots tried to get him to leave by serving improper notices to enter, threatening eviction, demanding he vacate by March 1, and refusing his rent while declining to give him an address where he could mail it. Bigone hired an attorney simply to keep paying.
The landlords also threatened to invoke the Ellis Act, which lets owners evict tenants by pulling a property off the rental market, but never filed for it. The complaint calls the threat “a fraudulent subterfuge” meant to force Bigone out.
At a press conference in late May, San Francisco Police Chief Derrick Lew said surveillance video captured the alleged murder that happened around 5:20 a.m. on May 17.
“Officers obtained video footage showing the suspect dressed in dark clothing, approached the victim’s residence,” Lew said. “The suspect then lit a fire on top of a car. And when the victim exited his residence to deal with the fire, the suspect shot the victim in the back using an automatic firearm equipped with a silencer. The suspect then stood over the victim and fired again before fleeing the scene.”
The complaint adds details that the police did not release. It says the weapon was a MAC-10 fitted with a high-capacity magazine and alleges Chagniot rode a bicycle to the home wearing a mask, spray-painted nearby cameras, and shot Bigone in the back of the head.
Lew said investigators used automated license-plate readers and other cameras to identify and track the suspect. Lew did not provide a motive at the conference.
“We’re still very early in the investigation, and we’re still working through all the details,” Lew said.
The complaint alleges that the Chagniots conspired to murder Bigone so they could sell the home without a tenant in it.
The day after the shooting, the complaint says, Barbara Chagniot called Dino Bigone to offer condolences and to ask when he would move out, and Phillipe Chagniot sent a text message:
“We’d like to offer our sincere condolences to you and your family during what is no doubt, an extremely difficult time. This is something no one should ever have to experience. If you have any questions for me, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Wishing you peace.”
The complaint says Dino Bigone later asked for the return of a security deposit.
On May 27, the Chagniots replied through their attorney that there was no deposit, complained that the Bigone family was in the house, and said the tenancy had ended with Eric Bigone’s death. Phillippe Chagniot was arrested the same day.
At the press conference, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced that her office has charged Chagniot with murder, with an allegation that he used a gun to commit the murder, and a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait.
“We have also filed additional charges that include assault with an automatic firearm, arson, possession of an automatic firearm, possession of a silencer, and possession of a high-capacity magazine,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said her office sought to hold Chagniot without bail and that he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. Chagniot is due in court on August 24 to set a date for his preliminary hearing.
The civil suit raises 10 causes of action, including wrongful death, battery, breach of contract, negligence and violations of San Francisco’s rent ordinance. It also asks the court to bar the Chagniots from selling or transferring five properties until any judgment is paid, arguing they may try to move the assets. Three of the properties are in San Francisco, one is in Daly City, and one in Sonoma County.
In seeking punitive damages, the complaint alleges the defendants “have violent and socially maladaptive tendencies.”
District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong, who represents the neighborhood, provided comment on Eric Bigone’s death.
“This was a heartbreaking incident for our Sunset community, and I know many neighbors have been deeply shaken by the violence,” Wong said. “My thoughts remain with the victim's loved ones and everyone impacted by this tragedy.”
Both the civil case and the criminal case are pending. The lawsuits’ allegations have not been tested in court.
