Second psych prisoner arrested for Lelystad murder: report

The police arrested a second suspect in connection with the death of a 72-year-old man in his Lelystad home. Like the first suspect arrested in this case, 35-year-old Michael B. was previously sentenced to institutionalized psychiatric treatment, the Telegraaf reports.

72-year-old Gerrit Thomassen was found dead in his home on Rode Klif in Lelystad on Sunday. On Monday the police arrested 48-year-old Jan van K. on suspicion of involvement in Thomassen's death.

Since 1997 Van K. has been an almost continuous patient in a psychiatric clinic, according to the newspaper. In 2003 he was re-admitted to a psychiatric institution after an incident while he was on leave, the Telegraaf writes. What exactly this incident was, is not clear. He was released from the institution only recently.

Michael B. is currently a patient at the Oostvaarders psychiatric clinic in Almere, according to the newspaper. Van K. was also a patient of this clinic. As was victim Thomassen. The motive for Thomassen's murder is not yet clear.

The arrests of B. and Van K. this week is a serious embarrassment for Minister Sander Dekker for Legal Protection. He recently survived a debate on mistakes made in the treatment of Michael P., who raped and murdered 25-year-old Anne Faber while being a patient at a psychiatric clinic in Den Dolder. Last month he was discredited again when a psychiatric prisoner was arrested for trading firearms from inside a clinic.