108 people, including 4 students, killed in Netherlands this year

By Janene Pieters on December 29, 2018 - 09:29
Forensic team performs a trace evidence investigation at a crime scene
Forensic team performs a trace evidence investigation at a crime scene. (Photo: Politie)

Up until December 28th a total of 108 people were killed in the Netherlands in the year 2018. That is 51 less than last year, though it must be said that 2017 had an exceptionally high number of murder and manslaughter cases at 159, AD reports based on figures moordatlas.nl, which tracks the number of murder and manslaughter cases in the Netherlands.

The number of 108 can still rise, as the year is not over yet. It may also decrease, because the cause of death is not yet certain in a number of cases. 

At 108 the number of murders is again at the level of 2016 which counted 109 murders and also 1973, the year in which hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin caused a sharp increase in the number of murders. According to moordatlas.nl, 1973 was the first year in which there were more than a hundred murders in the Netherlands. That number increased until the turn of the century, and then started decreasing again except for in 2017.

A total of 40 women were killed in the Netherlands this year, 37 percent of the total - slightly higher than in previous years. The suspects in all these cases are persons known to the victims. Four female students were killed, all allegedly by men who knew them. For example, 24-year-old Laura Korsman was stabbed to death in Utrecht in July. Her ex boyfriend is the suspect. The ex boyfriend is also the suspect in the murder of 16-year-old Humeyra Oz at her school in Rotterdam. And a neighbor was arrested for the murder of 21-year-old American student Sarah Papeheim in Rotterdam. 

The number of female suspects in murder or manslaughter cases, on the other hand, is lower than usual. In only 2 of this year's cases the suspect is female, including in the murder of a 33-year-old woman in Clinge earlier this week. 

The most murder and manslaughter cases happened in Amsterdam. A total of 14 people were killed in Amsterdam this year. The Amsterdam murder that made most headlines this year was that of Reduan B., brother of key witness Nabil B. who testified in a number of gangland assassinations.  Rotterdam came in second place with 12 murder or manslaughter victims. 

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