Teen could get 8 years in prison for Amstelveen murder; Longest punishment yet for minor

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) demanded eight years in prison and institutionalized psychiatric treatment against the 17-year-old suspect of the murder-for-hire of 56-year-old Itzhak Meiri. That is the longest sentence ever demanded for a minor in the Netherlands.

The OM demanded 20 years in prison against co-defendant Jesus T.A. (21) in the court in Amsterdam. The victim was shot dead on 22 December 2021 after a visit to the dentist on Wieringerstraat in Amstelveen. The two suspects allegedly followed Meiri for quite some time. “Cold and unscrupulous” is how the OM described the murder.

According to the OM, 17-year-old F.M. was the shooter, but both suspects are equally responsible for the victim’s violent death. T.A. accepted the assignment and acted as driver. The OM considers it necessary to apply adult criminal law to the minor suspect, partly because of the severity of the crime. It was a “cold-bloodedly planned and executed assassination.” The prosecutor called the suspected perpetrators' young age “shocking and worrying.”

M. was 16 at the time of the murder. He allegedly fired seven bullets at Meiri, hitting him with three. The man died in hospital shortly after the shooting.

M. refused to make any statements and consistently invoked his right to remain silent during the trial. T.A. confessed to the police in July. He accepted the assassination assignment via Snapchat, he said.

According to the OM, there is ample evidence against the two. Besides T.A.’s confession, the judiciary has DNA traces, camera images, and eyewitness statements, among other things. They also found a rap about the murder, presumably recorded by M.

Itzhak Meiri was allegedly on a hit list. Years ago, he was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison for extorting businessmen. T. A. did not give any explanation for the motive of his murder.

M. partially cooperated in a personality assessment, the details of which were discussed behind closed doors during the trial due to the suspect being underage. There is talk of a “serious behavioral and personality problem.” The OM wants institutionalized treatment to start while the boy is serving the prison sentence “so that what can be saved can be saved.” The boy would have to “learn how to deal with demons from his past” through that treatment, the prosecutor said.

The two suspects’ lawyer will give his plea later on Thursday. The court will rule on December 16.