31-year-old man faces 22 years in prison for mistaken identity murder in Beuningen

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) demanded 22 years in prison for a 31-year-old man for his involvement in the murder of the Nijmegen handyman Mehmet Kiliçsoy, better known as the mistaken identity murder in Beuningen. A year ago, the court sentenced six suspects to prison terms ranging from five to 30 years for the murder. The 31-year-old suspect could not be prosecuted earlier because he was incarcerated abroad.

Kilicsoy was shot in the head and upped body on 6 July 2020 around 8:30 a.m. on the Thorbeckeplein in the town of Beuningen in the province of Gerlderland. The two masked men opened fire from a stolen white van and then fled the scene. Kiliçsoy is believed to have been targeted in the drive-by shooting by mistake.

A year ago, the Arnhem court sentenced six suspects to prison terms ranging from five to 30 years for the murder. An appeal is still pending on this ruling. The court agreed with the theory the victim was targeted by mistake, because the police could never find a motive. In its ruling, the court said it did not believe Kiliçsoy was not the intended target, calling the incident a fatal mistake where the intended target remains unknown.

Using ANPR data (cameras above the highway), telephone data and witness statements, a reconstruction was made of the travel movements in the days prior to the murder. According to the prosecutor, the 31-year-old suspect took the van to Beuningen two days before the murder.

The man was also in Beuningen on 5 and/or 6 July, constantly staying near a man who has already been sentenced to 20 years in prison for coordinating the murder. After the murder, the suspect claimed "his share" from one of the co-defendants, which the OM views as a payment.

"The prosecutor believes the role of the suspect is significant enough to be considered as co-perpetration,” the OM stated on Wednesday. A prison sentence of 22 years was demanded for the 31-year-old man.

''A mistaken identity murder should not be punished the same as an assassination where the intended target is killed. For society - not for the bereaved - a mistaken identity murder is different, more intense, more frightening, because anyone can become a victim,'' the prosecutor stated.