News report | 08-12-2025 | 13:59
In an alley on Hoogvensestraat in Tilburg, the lifeless body of a 58-year-old woman was found on December 23, 2017. She was killed by severe violence. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) is convinced that a 43-year-old man from Tilburg is responsible for her death and demands a 12-year prison sentence against him.
It took a long time before the case could be substantively handled. This is due to a combination of factors and circumstances. Because there were no witnesses, it was very difficult to get a clear and objective picture of the facts and circumstances. The forensic investigation (including DNA analysis) took a lot of time.
With a new investigation team and a different case officer, the final official report was only ready at the beginning of 2023. By May 2024, all investigative requests had been completed, and the case was ready to go to trial. The cancellation of two planned court dates caused further delays.
Struggle before death
Research has shown that the victim must have been killed on the evening of December 23, 2017, between 8:30 pm and 9:15 pm. The woman was found with nine stab wounds in her body. A struggle preceded her death.
The suspect and the victim knew each other, and it is established that he owed her money. On the fatal evening, the two had arranged to meet, and based on a timeline created by the investigation team, the suspect was one of the last persons to see the victim alive.
The suspect continues to deny killing the woman, and the file still contains some unanswered questions, but according to the OM, there is sufficient lawful and convincing evidence pointing in his direction. For example, DNA of the suspect was found under nine of the victims ten fingernails. The OM does not believe these traces were left after he received a small amount of cocaine from the victim, as the suspect claims.
Moreover, the man has no verifiable alibi for the time period in which the victim died. He also exhibited strange, peculiar, and even incriminating behavior around the time of the victims death. He searched for news reports and alerts about the crime, coordinated his statements with a woman from whom he borrowed a car on the evening in question, and during police interrogations, he gave contradictory and sometimes even deceitful statements.
‘Veiled in mystery’
“By the brutal way in which the victim was deprived of life, the suspect has seriously shocked the legal order and has caused great and irreparable suffering to her relatives. His continued veil of secrecy only makes this worse,” said the public prosecutor, who assumes manslaughter because murder cannot be proven. “Only a long unconditional prison sentence is an appropriate response.”
After stating his sentence demand, the prosecutor asked the court to immediately issue a detention order. He finds it unacceptable to explain to the relatives and society if the suspect, given the content of the file, could leave the courtroom as a free man and possibly avoid punishment.
The court did not agree and decided to make a decision only at the final verdict. This will be on January 12, 2026, at 10:00 am.
