Crime scene tape surrounds a home on Sloterlandseweg in Katlijk, where a couple was found murdered, 26 Sept 2017 - Credit: Photo: @polfryslan / Twitter

Thursday, 8 March 2018 - 14:18

Boy, 14, gets maximum punishment for parents' murder

A 14-year-old boy was convicted of murdering his parents in their home in the Friesland village of Katlijk in September last year. On Thursday the court gave him the maximum sentence possible for a convict of his age - a year in juvenile detention and institutionalized psychiatric treatment, RTL Nieuws reports.

The court ruled that the boy had a premeditated plan to murder his parents - 63-year-old Jos Verdonk and 62-year-old Margreet Andriol. He waited for them for an hour and a half before stabbing them to death, told friends about his plan and thought about who he could flee to afterwards. The boy previously confessed to the murders.

The victims were found dead in their farm house in September last year. As the boy is underage, he was tried behind closed doors. Until now, very little was known about the boy's motives. Due to his age, the Public Prosecution Service was very reluctant to provide any information.

In the verdict the judge revealed more about the boy's psychological health. He has developmental issues when it comes to his mental abilities, a disorder on the autism spectrum, poor conscience development, and was suffering from a depressive disorder at the time of the murders, according to the verdict.

The victims had three sons together, and Verdonk had two other children from a previous relationship. The 14-year-old boy is the youngest by far. The family wasn't under the attention of any aid organizations.

According to newspaper Trouw, Androil initially worked in education and care for the disabled, but later switched to giving courses on the farm where they lived. There they also kept goats and sold organic products. They gave shelter to people who needed help. The newspaper writes that the couple stood out because of their colorful clothing and hippy-like lifestyle, "but not in a bad way".

After the murders, local residents described the boy as "different" and "introverted" to newspaper AD, though some girls from his class said that "he wasn't that weird".