The Netherlands: Well known crime reporter shot in the head in Amsterdam in broad daylight

[Palinurus]

Source (Dutch only): Verdachte voorverkenning moordzaak Peter R. de Vries langer vast

Suspect of preliminary reconnaissance in murder case Peter R. de Vries detained longer

Article by ANP Productions - 4 hours ago

The 34-year-old man who was arrested Monday in Tilburg on suspicion of involvement in the murder of Peter R. de Vries will remain in pre-trial detention for fourteen days longer. This was determined by the examining magistrate of the court in Amsterdam on Thursday. According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, prior to the assassination he is alleged to have conducted preliminary reconnaissance around the studio of RTL Boulevard near the Leidseplein in Amsterdam and in the street where De Vries was shot on July 6, 2021.

The man is suspected of "inciting the murder with terrorist intent and of participating in the criminal organization that engaged in (the preparation of) the murder of Peter R. de Vries."

The prosecution announced more about the suspect on Thursday. He is said to be a contact of two previously arrested suspects who filmed De Vries as he lay severely wounded on the ground. The 34-year-old suspect "was presumably the one who (passed on) the order to make the footage to the filmers." The restrictions imposed on the man have been lifted. That means he is allowed to have contact again with anyone other than only his lawyer.

The prosecution believes that the murder attempt had a terrorist intent, because of the way it was carried out, namely by shooting Peter R. de Vries in the busy center of Amsterdam, in the early evening. He died nine days later, at the age of 64. De Vries was confidant of Nabil B., the star witness in the notorious Marengo liquidation trial, in which Ridouan Taghi is the prime suspect. In 2018 B.'s brother Reduan was shot dead, in 2019 his lawyer Derk Wiersum.

Almost immediately after the attack on De Vries, the police were able to arrest the two suspected perpetrators, in their getaway car, on the A4 motorway. Against this pair the public prosecutor demanded life imprisonment in June last year. The court determined at the last moment that their trial must be repeated, among other things because of the emigration of one of the judges. They are on trial along with four others, including the man alleged to have directly directed the murder.

A total of eight suspects have now been arrested in the murder investigation, seven of whom are in custody.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Other Dutch coverage:
Nieuwe verdachte zaak Peter R. de Vries zou filmers hebben aangestuurd

 

[Palinurus]

Source: All nine suspects deny involvement in crime reporter's murder at start of trial

Tuesday, 23 January 2024 - 15:19

All nine suspects deny involvement in crime reporter's murder at start of trial​

At the start of the trial around the murder of Peter R. de Vries, all nine suspects denied having anything to do with the case or invoked their right to remain silent. The alleged gunman, Delano G., said in a crowded court bunker in Amsterdam-Osdorp: “I fully invoke my right to remain silent.”

Only suspect Erickson O. made a short statement. In a few short sentences, he denied any involvement in De Vries’s (64) murder. “I didn’t know who he was or that he was a famous person.” O. also denied having passed on information or being part of a criminal organization. Furthermore, O. claimed not to know that De Vries was filmed after the attack. But when O. was under oath as a witness - and therefore not allowed to lie - he refused to confirm that statement, invoking his right to remain silent.

The substantive trial against the men suspected of involvement in De Vries’s murder in July 2021 started on Tuesday. All suspects were present in court, as were De Vries’s relatives. The court set eight days aside for the case. The sentencing demands will happen next week, and the verdict is expected in June.

The crime reporter was gunned down on 6 July 2021 on the Lange Leidsedwarsstraat in the center of Amsterdam after appearing on RTL Boulevard. He succumbed to his injuries nine days later.

The two men who allegedly carried out the assassination, Kamil E. and Delano G., were arrested almost immediately after the attack. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) already demanded a life sentence against them in the summer of 2022, but the investigation was reopened shortly before the verdict after a new witness came forward. That is why part of the case is now being retried.

Reporting by ANP

Similar: Nine accused of killing crime reporter go on trial in Amsterdam - DutchNews.nl

 

[Palinurus]

Source: Three suspects in journalist’s murder face life in prison; Others facing up to 21 years

Wednesday, 31 January 2024 - 12:00

Three suspects in journalist’s murder face life in prison; Others facing up to 21 years​

The Public Prosecution Service [OM] demanded life in prison against three suspects for the murder of crime reporter Peter R. de Vries. The other suspects are facing up to 21 years in prison for their roles in the assassination. The harshest sentence demands went to the men suspected of organizing and committing the murder and the two suspected of recording the aftermath and posting it on social media.

“With the murder of Peter R. de Vries, the suspects have caused irreparable suffering and an unprecedented shock in society,” the OM said in the court bunker in Amsterdam-Osdorp on Wednesday, according to Telegraaf reporter Saskia Belleman posting live from the courtroom.

Peter R. de Vries was gunned down outside the RTL Boulevard studio on Lange Leidsedwarsstraat in Amsterdam on 6 July 2021. He died nine days later from his injuries.

The prosecutor said that it has been “convincingly demonstrated” that De Vries’s murder was linked to Ridouan Taghi - the primary suspect in a sprawling criminal case about a series of street-level assassinations, attempted killings, and plots to commit murder. The case has been randomly designated as the Marengo procedure.

De Vries was a confidant of Nabil B., the key witness in that case. Nabil B.’s brother Reduan and lawyer Derk Wiersum were both also assassinated. That makes this murder one of a series. “That can only be punished very severely,” the prosecutor said.

The OM demanded life in prison against the two men who allegedly committed the assassination - 24-year-old Delano G., who is suspected of shooting and killing De Vries, and 37-year-old Kamil E., who drove G. to the scene of the shooting and acted as getaway driver afterward.

Delano G. and Kamil E. already stood trial, but the ruling was postponed just before it happened because the authorities arrested new suspects. The court eventually ordered a retrial because one of the judges relocated in the meantime and to fold in the new suspects. The OM demanded life in prison against them in the first trial, too.

Krystian M. (28) is also facing life in prison. According to the OM, he organized the crime reporter’s murder by acting as the mediator between the person who ordered De Vries killed - Ridouan Taghi, the authorities believe - and G. and E., who committed the murder. On Tuesday, M. gave his one and only statement in this trial, saying that he was pressured to pass on messages and apologizing to De Vries’s family.

Konrad W. (31) is facing 17 [years] in prison. According to the OM, he was the first person hired to gun down De Vries, but he pulled out at the last minute because he found it too risky to shoot someone in Amsterdam's city center without a silencer. He is also accused of supplying firearms, the getaway car, and gasoline to set the getaway car on fire.

The OM demanded 21 [years] in prison against 27-year-old Gerower M.C. and 29-year-old Erickson O. for recording video of De Vries after the shooting and distributing it online. According to the OM, they did so to raise fear with terrorist intent. Divainy K. (30), accused of arranging O. and M.C. to record the aftermath of the shooting and planning what to record, is facing 8 years and 4 months in prison.

Ludgardo S. is facing 14 years in prison for planning the murder with terrorist intent and participating in a criminal organization.

Christopher W. is the only suspect no longer in custody. He is accused of knowing about the murder and motive but was arrested for a separate crime before he could actively participate in the assassination. The OM believes that deserves 3 years in prison.

Other coverage: Three men face life in jail for Peter R de Vries murder - DutchNews.nl