AMSTERDAM — Tuesday’s Dutch court will examine evidence. Prosecutors are expected to present sentencing demands in the case of Peter R. de Vries and two other suspects in the shooting death of the crime reporter. The attack almost one year ago triggered a national outpouring and government promises to crack down on Amsterdam’s violent drug underworld.
Prosecutors believe that Delano G., a 21 year old Dutchman, shot De Vries from close range on July 6, last year. Nine days later, the campaigning reporter and TV personality died from his injuries. The maximum sentence for the suspect is life imprisonment if he is convicted.
Prosecutors claim that the suspects were captured less than an hour following the shooting of De Vries in a getaway vehicle on a highway close to The Hague.
G. refused to answer any questions regarding his alleged involvement. Kamil E., a Polish man who was allegedly the getaway driver, denied any involvement in Tuesday’s shooting.
Prosecutors are not releasing the identity of the suspect they believe gave De Vries’ order to kill him. De Vries was 64 at the time.
De Vries’ daughter and son are scheduled to give victim impact statements to Amsterdam District Court on Tuesday. The suspects’ lawyers are due to appear at a separate hearing next Wednesday. Judges are expected to deliver verdicts on July 14.
De Vries was a crime journalist and author who covered the 1983 kidnapping by Freddy Heineken, a beer magnate. He worked tirelessly for the resolution of cold cases later in his career. De Vries was a confidant and adviser to the accused leader and others in the case against the crime gang, which police called an “oiled killing machine”.
Ridouan Taghi (a suspected leader of a gangland) was extradited from Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 2019. He is currently on trial.
——–
Mike Corder, Associated Press, The Hague, Netherlands contributed.
