Suspect gets 22 years in murder of kickboxer Volkan Düzgün

A judge in Amsterdam on Wednesday sentenced a 22-year-old man to 22 years in prison for the murder of kickboxer Volkan Düzgün (26) in 2013. The judge ruled as per the demand of the Prosecutor’s Office.

Volkan Düzgün was shot dead in front of his house in Veghel on July 12 2013. The shooter, who had been identified as Pat R. had opened fire at close range. Police have never been able to determine the motive for the shooting, but authorities said the killings had all the characteristics of a paid assassination. Pat R. (22) invoked his right to silence; during his trial he only gave a statement, in which he vehemently denied involvement. But the court found it proven that he had killed Düzgün mercilessly; “he waited for the kickboxer and fired six shots at him from the front and the back. Düzgün was struck four times, once fatally. “He had no chance,” the court ruled. It referred to R. as a boastful suspect who had been quick to draw his gun and who was overheard saying in wiretapped phone calls that he would murder again for money. The court also sentenced the young man for drug possession and trade.