Groningen woman arrested for 2010 murder

On Friday the police arrested a 39-year-old woman from Groningen for involvement in the murder of 34-year-old Halil Erol from Steenwijk in 2010. The woman was arrested based on new information received, the police said in a statement. More arrests may follow.

Halil was last seen by his ex wife on Saturday night, February 6th, when he came to pick up a laptop one of his two young daughters borrowed from him. He left their home with the laptop around midnight. Around 11:00 a.m. the next morning, the ex-wife received a missed call from Halil's phone. At that time, Halil's phone was near Zevenaar, close to the border crossing with Germany.

On March 8th, 2010 the police found Halil's car burning on Kerklaan in Haren in the province of Groningen. The license plates had been removed and were later registered on the A12, the A44 and the A15 near Rotterdam and Zoetermeer in April and May of the same year. On June 22nd, 2010 dismembered limbs were found in a canvas bag in the Steenwijker Aa in Eesveen, just outside Steenwijk. DNA investigation revealed that the limbs belonged to Halil.

Over two years later, on January 31st 2013, two hikers found a decomposed human torso in nature reserve De Kiersche Wijde on Zandweg in Wanneperveen. DNA tests confirmed that it was Halil. The remains were found in the same type of canvas bag as the one in which Halil's limbs were found. The police also found a largely destroyed judo suit of the brand Matsuru.

Exactly how the police believe the Groningen woman was involved in Halil's murder, was not revealed. The motive for the murder is also unclear. In 2010 the Public Prosecutor in Oost Nederland offered a 15 thousand euros reward for information leading to this case being solved. That reward is still available, the police said.