Current:Home > Scams3 men convicted of murder in fatal shooting of high-profile crime reporter -Stellar Financial Insights
3 men convicted of murder in fatal shooting of high-profile crime reporter
View
Date:2025-04-18 13:40:10
A Dutch court on Wednesday convicted three men of murder for their roles in the 2021 shooting of investigative reporter Peter R. de Vries in a brazen downtown Amsterdam attack that sent a shockwave through the Netherlands.
The shooter, getaway driver and organizer of the attack were convicted of direct involvement in the killing. The shooter and driver were sentenced to 28 years. The man who organized the slaying was sentenced to 26 years and one month.
The three demonstrated "unprecedented ruthlessness and unscrupulousness. Their actions and the recklessness they showed demonstrate that they do not care about human life," said presiding Judge Gert Oldekamp at Amsterdam District Court.
De Vries was gunned down on July 5, 2021, on a busy Amsterdam street and died nine days later of his injuries at age 64.
Annemiek van Spanje, a lawyer for de Vries' family, said they were satisfied with the judgment, but that "the bottom line is ... it won't bring back their father."
A total of nine men were charged in connection with the murder. Three were convicted of complicity and were given sentences ranging from 10 years to 14 years. One man was convicted of drug possession but was cleared of complicity in the murder. He was sentenced to four weeks.
Two were acquitted because they were charged only with involvement in a criminal organization, and the judges said prosecutors did not prove the existence of such an organization.
Prosecution spokesperson Justine Asbroek welcomed the convictions.
"We are happy that this criminal case has come to an end — at least for the time being," she told reporters at the courthouse. "We are happy for the family that there is finally clarity about those involved in the murder."
The full names of the suspects were not released, in line with Dutch privacy regulations.
Prosecutors had sought life sentences for the gunman, getaway driver and organizer of the killing and sentences ranging from three to 21 years for the six other suspects in the case.
The sentences were generally shorter than requested because the court said prosecutors did not prove that the suspects were part of a criminal organization or that some had acted with a terrorist motive.
Asbroek said prosecutors would likely appeal that element of the verdicts.
The slaying sparked outrage, grief and anger throughout the Netherlands. Dutch King Willem-Alexander called the shooting of de Vries "an attack on journalism, the cornerstone of our constitutional state and therefore also an attack on the rule of law."
Oldekamp said the murder "sent a shockwave through the Netherlands."
De Vries had been an adviser and confidant for a protected witness in the trial of the alleged leader and other members of a crime gang. The witness' brother and lawyer were both murdered.
The group's top gangster, Ridouan Taghi, was convicted of his role in five gangland killings and sentenced to life behind bars in February. Judges called him the "undisputed leader" of a "murder organization."
Taghi has not been charged with involvement in the assassination of de Vries and prosecutors have not charged any suspects with ordering de Vries killed.
"Whether Taghi was involved in the murder of Peter de Vries and what intention he may have had is expressly not up for assessment in this criminal case," Oldekamp said.
Earlier this year, the de Vries family lawyer, van Spanje, lamented the fact that no suspect was on trial for ordering the murder.
"The fact that the person who ordered the killing is not known and is not on trial here naturally hangs like a shadow over this trial," she told The Associated Press.
The shooter was arrested less than an hour after the attack, along with a Polish man identified only as Kamil E. who was the getaway driver. Prosecutors told judges at Amsterdam District Court that the weapon used to shoot de Vries was found in their car.
- In:
- Homicide
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Crime
- Shootings
veryGood! (1)
Related
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- A newly formed alliance between coup-hit countries in Africa’s Sahel is seen as tool for legitimacy
- Why Mark Wahlberg Wakes Up at 3:30 A.M.
- Mexico’s arrest of cartel security boss who attacked army families’ complex was likely personal
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Gwyneth Paltrow talks menopause and perimenopause: 'It's nothing to be hidden'
- Black Friday and Beyond
- Eating out on Thanksgiving? You're not alone. Some Americans are opting not to cook
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Andrew Cuomo accused of sexual harassment by former aide in new lawsuit
Ranking
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- The eight best college football games to watch in Week 13 starts with Ohio State-Michigan
- UN chief gives interview from melting Antarctica on eve of global climate summit
- Runaway bull on Phoenix freeway gets wrangled back without injury
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Eating out on Thanksgiving? You're not alone. Some Americans are opting not to cook
- Black Friday and Beyond
- Sean 'Diddy' Combs accused of sexual abuse by two more women
Recommendation
Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
AI drama over as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is reinstated with help from Microsoft
Tiffany Haddish charged with DUI after arrest in Beverly Hills
Feel Free to Bow Down to These 20 Secrets About Enchanted
Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
The debate over Ukraine aid was already complicated. Then it became tangled up in US border security
Gwyneth Paltrow talks menopause and perimenopause: 'It's nothing to be hidden'
Sean 'Diddy' Combs accused of sexual abuse by two more women