Suspects in court for first hearing on De Vries murder

Two suspects in the murder of Peter R. de Vries are present in the court of Amsterdam on Monday morning for the first preparatory hearing in the case. They were brought into the courtroom shortly before 10:00 a.m.

22-year-old Delano G. is suspected of shooting De Vries on July 6 on Lange Leidsedwarsstraat in the center of Amsterdam after he appeared on the program RTL Boulevard. De Vries was taken to hospital in critical condition and died of his injuries nine days later.

Rotterdammer G. and 35-year-old Polish co-suspect Kamil E. from Maurik were arrested shortly after the attack. The Pole is the suspected getaway driver. The police arrested the duo on the A4 highway, near the Leidschendam exit.

The court was crowded on Monday, with a lot of press and public at the hearing. Among them are the children of crime reporter De Vries. "It will be a difficult and fraught day for you," the presiding judge said in his opening statement. "We want to make this process as dignified as possible for all parties. We'll also keep the emotions of those present in mind." Relatives will be allowed to leave the room if they need to.

It is the first public hearing in the criminal case around De Vries' murder. The case is not yet being substantively tried. "You may have questions that have not yet been answered. The court does not know whether you will get the answers," the judge said to the relatives.

The substantive trial will happen at the court of Amsterdam in May or June next year, the Public Prosecutor said at the hearing on Monday.

The motive for De Vries's murder is not yet known. The authorities consider that it had to do with the crime reporter's role in the extensive Marengo assassinations trial, with main suspect Ridouan Taghi. De Vries acted as advisor and confidant to Nabil B., the key witness in that trial.

Since it was announced in early 2018 that B. had turned witness, his innocent brother Reduan and his lawyer Derk Wiersum were murdered.