Public Prosecution Service demands 25 years and life in prison for murder couple

The Public Prosecution Service demanded a life sentence for 52-year-old Bill C. and 25 years in prison for 34-year-old co-suspect Sharona de J. for two murders in 2021, Omroep Brabant reported on Friday. The pair faced trial in Den Bosch court for the killing of 70-year-old businessman Willem van der Willigen in Lieshout in May 2021 and the killing of 65-year-old Benito van Ommeren in Amsterdam one month later.

The suspects were in a relationship. Sharona was a transgender prostitute, and Bill had come to know her as a client. Willem van der Willigen was also one of Sharona's clients.

Bill previously admitted to beating van der Willigen to death with a hammer in his villa in Lieshout, while Sharona was present in the house. In the weeks that followed, the couple lived in the villa. Sharona even received clients there, while Van der Willigen's dead body was still in the house. The duo also plundered over 90,000 euros from his bank account in the weeks following his murder.

The pair then left for Amsterdam and stayed at the Krasnapolsky Hotel in a suite for 1,800 euros per night. However, their stay was cut short after they were evicted for soiling their room with feces.

In Amsterdam, Benito van Ommeren took them in, offering shelter in exchange for drugs and groceries. After two days, he asked them to leave. This led to a brawl, during which C. strangled van Ommeren with his belt. The Public Prosecution Service said that both suspects actively engaged in the altercation.

Police arrested the pair on June 26, 2021, at van Ommeren's residence, where they discovered his body beneath a mattress.

The Public Prosecution Service demanded a 25-year sentence for Sharona, citing her role as an accomplice in both murders and her evident lack of remorse. “Only a long prison sentence is appropriate,” the OM said.

For Bill, the prosecutor said, "He single-handedly took two lives. Moreover, he refuses to cooperate with the investigation and makes treatment impossible. Society must be protected. Under these circumstances, only one punishment is appropriate: therefore, I demand a life sentence."

The verdict is expected on December 5.