Rising star tennis coach's murder trial delayed as defense atty resigns in protest

The trial against tennis coach Mark de J. for the murder of business man Koen Everink has been delayed. De J.'s lawyer resigned on Tuesday after the court would not give him extra time for an additional DNA investigation, NOS reports.

According to the lawyer, by refusing the court is preventing him from doing his job properly. "There are many DNA traces of unidentified people, another profile must be added if possible. I think we must do everything we can to link the DNA to a person", lawyer Pieter Hoogendam said.

On Monday experts told the court that they find it unlikely that a new DNA profile can be established with the found traces. The court therefore ruled that another DNA investigation is unnecessary.

Due to the lawyer's departure, the trial is now delayed. De J. has three months to find a new lawyer.

Hoogendam does not feel that he is letting his client down by resigning. "I want to show that his point is the right one. That he is overpowered. And that he is not the perpetrator, but others", the lawyer said. He added that he doesn't rule out that he will be De J.'s lawyer again, if asked, at the end of the three month period. So this may well be just a stalling tactic.

The court called this an exceptional situation and "very unpleasant" for Everink's family and friends.

Everink was found stabbed to death in his Bilthoven home in March 2016. His now 7-year-old daughter was the one to find the body. According to the Public Prosecutor, all evidence points to De J. being the culprit. He was at Everink's home the night of the murder, he owed Everink money, Everink's blood was found in De J.'s car and De J. asked his family to hide Everink's watch and his shoes. It was also revealed on Monday that prior to the businessman's murder, De J. googled a number of suspicious search terms on his iPad, including things like "stab wound in the head" and "bullet through the brain stem".

De J. himself claims that he was abducted by strange men as he left Everink's home that night, and that Everink was alive and well when he left.