After a two-and-a-half year investigation that has shaken the Dutch criminal underworld, nine men, including the alleged gunman, appeared in a high-security dock in Amsterdam on Tuesday, all charged in connection with the murder of investigative journalist, Peter R de Vries.
A high-profile TV presenter, Mr de Vries was shot in the head in the Dutch capital on July 6th, 2021, in an attack described by King Willem-Alexander at the time as “an assault on journalism and on the rule of law”. De Vries (64), died in hospital nine days later.
Two of the nine suspects – the alleged gunman, Delano G (23), and the man believed to have been the getaway driver, Kamil E (36) – first went on trial in June 2022, when prosecutors demanded life sentences for both.
The verdict was delayed, however, because a string of fresh arrests days before its conclusion led to new witnesses being added to the case. The situation was further complicated when one of the judges retired abroad, and the court ultimately decided on a retrial.
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There was heavy security as the case opened on Tuesday morning, with police helicopters overhead and officers wearing body armour and ski masks patrolling the streets as the defendants arrived in convoy and members of the De Vries family took their places in court.
At the start of the hearing in a courtroom known as “the bunker”, all nine accused either denied the charges against them or invoked their right to silence, refusing to answer further.
The most vocal was Erickson O, described by the prosecution as a lookout during the attack, who said: “I am not guilty of the murder of Peter R de Vries. I didn’t know who he was or that he was a well-known person.”
Both Erickson O and Gerower M are charged with filming the immediate aftermath of the shooting and posting it online.
Four others – Ludgardo S, Konrad W, Christopher W and Divainy K – are alleged to have helped in preparations for the killing.
The most significant new defendant is Krystian M, described by the prosecution as a “contract killer” with links to Ridouan Taghi, the Netherlands’ most wanted criminal until his arrest in Dubai in 2019.
At the time of his death, Mr de Vries was working as an adviser to Nabil B, the main state witness in a separate murder trial, known as the Marengo case, involving Taghi.
On Tuesday afternoon, after advance warning to members of the de Vries family, the defendants were shown graphic images from the scene of the shooting.
Jazmijn de Zeeuw of Free Press Unlimited said afterwards they “painfully demonstrated the potential repercussions for those, including journalists, interfering with the power of organised crime”.
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