Judge bias claim tossed in trial of teen's alleged killer

A court in Den Bosch denied a request by defense attorneys to dismiss the judges assigned to the trial of Jos de G. The man is accused of the 1995 rape and murder of 15-year-old Nicole van den Hurk. De G.’s legal team accused the judges of being biased against the defendant, after being stunned by a ruling that investigators did not have to release all files connected to the original murder inquiry.

Investigators say DNA found with the young girl’s body matched that of De G., a 47 year old from Helmond. Van den Hurk disappeared on October 6, 1995, after leaving her grandmother’s house. She was headed to her part time job as a supermarket worker. Her body was found on November 22, between Mierlo and Lierop. De G. denies taking part in the killing, while his lawyer has repeatedly questioned whether or not the girl was the victim of a sex crime. Previously, defense attorney Job Knoester suggested that the murdered teen was having sex with multiple men who might have previously abused her, and that she may have even been pregnant at the time of her death. Meanwhile, De G. has been convicted of rape three different times, and a psychiatric evaluation described him in 2001 as being “a vessel overflowing with hate,” and likely to repeat his crimes.