A 59-year-old woman was killed by knife wounds on May 30, 2024, while walking her dog in the Ravense Hout in Hellevoetsluis. The Public Prosecution Service has today demanded 16 years of imprisonment and compulsory treatment for the 22-year-old man suspected of this crime.
On that May 30, two people reported to the police that someone was seen wearing facial coverings and gloves in an unusual spot away from the path and that a victim had been found. These reporters kept the victims dog with them until the police arrived on the scene. Immediately, a large investigation was launched, and while the helicopter was still in the air, a suspect reported himself at the police cordon in the forest 2.5 hours later. He turned himself in and was arrested.
Balaclava and Gloves
The suspect had certain thoughts that morning and felt the heavy feeling of wanting to hurt someone. He first went to his room and put on dark clothing. He put on gloves, donned a balaclava, and looked at himself in the mirror. He then packed the items into his backpack, went downstairs, and also put a large kitchen knife in his bag. He got into his car and drove to the Ravense Hout. When he saw the victim walking there, he approached her from behind, put on his balaclava, and took the knife out of his backpack. When he reached her, he came against her and they fell to the ground, after which he immediately stabbed her. He dragged the victim a bit further away from the path into the bushes and left her in shallow water. Once home, he searched for 112 reports and news articles about what he had just done.
Murder/Manslaughter
The question that was central during the hearing was whether the suspect acted with premeditation. For murder, premeditation must be proven. The prosecutor during the hearing stated: “the suspect really thought about it given the heavy thoughts he claims to have had and his actions before leaving home, the items he took with him, and the clothing he wore. And he also knows very well that what he is planning is wrong; he feels the tension and the heavy feeling, and it feels bad.” For the Public Prosecution Service, it is clear that the suspect had the opportunity to think about the meaning and consequences of his decision and that he did not act in a fit of emotion. The fact that he had already gone out 3 to 4 times with a knife in a bag with the same feeling of wanting to hurt someone shows that this was not a spontaneously arisen idea. The Public Prosecution Service therefore believes that murder can be proven.
Difficult to Bear
The suspect has taken away the most essential thing from the victim; her life. Although it probably happened completely unexpectedly for her, she may have realized for a short time what was happening to her. “The actions of the suspect have caused irreparable harm to the relatives. That this happened out of nowhere, without any provocation, makes the loss even harder to bear and her death even harder to process. The enormous randomness of it is incredibly frightening.” That shock and fear of society and the sorrow of the relatives should be reflected in the sentence. In this case, the nature and severity of the act are such that only a long prison sentence can be appropriate as retribution for the irreparable harm caused by the suspect. Given the advice of the psychologist and psychiatrist, the Public Prosecution Service also sees the necessity of imposing compulsory treatment.
