The Public Prosecution Service (OM) demands prison sentences ranging from seven years to life imprisonment against 7 men for their involvement in various crimes. Six of the men are involved in a murder in Beuningen in July 2020. Three men are also involved in the shooting of a chalet in Tienhoven in June 2020, according to the OM. One of the men is also involved in the preparation of a murder in Amsterdam in early 2021.
The suspects have been involved in a total of three different violent incidents in varying compositions. The various suspects were convicted of murder, preparing for murder, and attempted murder by the court in Gelderland on December 20, 2022. One suspect received a thirty-year prison sentence. He is seen as the client of the mistaken murder. At the time of the liquidation, he was 26 years old. He is said to have ordered the shooting in Tienhoven a month earlier. Finally, he has made preparations for the liquidation of a man from Amsterdam.
Murder Beuningen
On the morning of July 6, 2020, a man was killed by gun violence in Beuningen. Two shooters - who came from a delivery van - opened fire on him. The 49-year-old man died almost immediately. The victim turned out not to be the intended target. It was a so-called mistaken murder. An innocent citizen became the victim.
Tienhoven
On the night of June 4, 2020, a chalet in Tienhoven was shot at with an automatic firearm. The reason for this shooting was the theft of a shipment of cocaine. In retrospect, it turned out to be the wrong chalet that was shot at, and an innocent family became the victim, with a bullet hitting the father of the family in the shoulder. Three of the suspects were involved in this.
Preparation for murder Amsterdam
The police arrested two men in Amsterdam on January 28, 2021, after a chase. The men were driving a delivery van containing weapons and ammunition, and were preparing for a murder. The duo was convicted for this in April 2022 by the Amsterdam court convicted. Encrypted messages revealed that the suspect who ordered the mistaken murder in Beuningen also directed the planned murder in Amsterdam.
SkyECC and EncroChat
In all these cases, SkyECC and (to a lesser extent) EncroChat communication play an important role. Several suspects had special encrypted phones from these providers with which they thought they could send messages safely and anonymously. Later, many of these conversations were cracked and retrieved by the police. In the conversations, the men extensively discussed the facts.
Life imprisonment for the client and one of the shooters
The facts attributed to the client include a murder, an attempted murder, and preparation for a murder. “He is a ruthless, hard criminal, for whom a human life is worth nothing. He shows no remorse, denies or remains silent, and has not shown in any way that he realizes the seriousness of his actions. He has left a trail of destruction and misery in a short time. The chance of recidivism is enormous. A temporary prison sentence, even the maximum, does not do justice to the nature and seriousness of the crimes committed by the main suspect. The great danger of recidivism can only be mitigated by protecting society to the maximum against the suspect and imposing a life sentence on him.” The OM also sees every reason to demand a life sentence against one of the shooters. Despite his young age (then 19 years), the man has shown himself to be cold, ruthless, and dangerous. In a span of six months, he committed two murders and has forever destroyed the lives of several families. “He is hard, remains silent or denies, shows no remorse, and demonstrates that he is not impressed by the fact that a citizen in Beuningen was a completely innocent victim. For him, a human life is clearly worth nothing. Society must be maximally protected against him, and that can only be done in one way: namely by removing him from society for as long as possible,” said the Attorney General (public prosecutor in appeal).
Sentencing demands in appeal
The OM demands a life sentence against the client. Against one of the shooters of the mistaken murder in Beuningen, who has already been sentenced to 28 years in prison for another liquidation (committed in 2019), the OM also demands life imprisonment. Against another suspect, the OM demands 28 years for involvement in the mistaken murder in Beuningen and for Tienhoven. Against 2 other suspects, the OM demands 22 years of imprisonment for their role as accomplices in Beuningen. Against the man who is seen as an accomplice in Beuningen, the OM demands 7 years. Against the suspect who had a role in pointing out the chalet in Tienhoven, 9 years of imprisonment has been demanded.