Suspect in teen girl's murder still in custody; trial to start November

The 14-year-old boy suspected of killing and sexually abusing 14-year-old Romy Nieuwburg from Hoevelaken is still in custody and will remain there until his trial starts, the court decided on Friday. The substantive hearings will start in the court in Utrecht on November 10th, ANP reports.

The boy confessed to killing and sexually assaulting Romy. The two knew each other from school. Romy's body was found in a watery ditch in Achterveld in June. She didn't come home from school, but wasn't yet reported missing.

As the suspect is a minor, his trial will be held behind closed door. Should he be prosecuted, this will be done under juvenile criminal law. The maximum penalty for a 14-year-old is one year. Though in such cases the juvenile is usually placed in a juvenile institution, according to NU.nl. This can be done for three years, after which the measure can be extended up to two times for two years.

Romy's death caused great unrest. Especially because 14-year-old Savannah Dekker disappeared from nearby Bunschoten the day before Romy's body was found. Savannah's body was found a few days later in a watery ditch on an industrial site in Bunschoten. A 16-year-old boy from Den Bosch is in custody for Savannah's murder.