Man sentenced to 9 years in jail for strangling girlfriend after Covid vaccine argument

A 45-year-old man from Almelo was sentenced to nine years in prison by the Court of Appeal in Zwolle on Wednesday. He strangled his girlfriend following an argument and left her body in a car parked at a hospital in Almelo.

The dispute with his girlfriend, Sandra Rozeman, occurred on the night of September 14 to 15, 2021. He strangled her, covered her head with plastic bags, and beat her face with a baseball bat.

A few days later, it was revealed that a fight over Covid-19 vaccines likely led to the murder. The victim had forbidden her boyfriend to interact with vaccinated people, including his parents. The man wanted to be vaccinated so that he could return to a band in which he played bass. Their relationship was also under pressure because the victim had entered into a relationship with another man.

Van V. was initially sentenced to twelve years in prison in June 2022 by the court in Almelo but appealed the decision. Floris van V. claimed to have killed her in a haze, according to his own statement. "I never wanted this, and I don't know how it happened," he told the Court of Appeal in Zwolle.

He had previously told the court in Almelo that he could not explain why he killed her. "I have no words for how sorry I am. I do not understand what happened that I did such a terrible thing. She was the love of my life," he said, bursting into tears.

According to his lawyer, the pandemic heightened tensions in their relationship, partly due to conspiracy theories and social isolation. Added to this was the fear of the relationship ending. "This mild-mannered person, due to his disorders, committed this grievous act," the lawyer stated.

On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal in Zwolle imposed a lesser sentence than the court in Almelo. New psychological reports revealed that Van V. has a more severe mental disorder than previously thought. A report determined that he could not have acted in a premeditated manner but was in a constant state of panic. Therefore, the court stated that he is required to undergo treatment after completing his prison term.

After killing his girlfriend, he wrapped her body in a tarp and placed it in the trunk of his car. He then drove around for two hours, with the idea of disposing of the body in a forest or the water. Eventually, he parked the car at the hospital in Almelo, where he confessed to the murder. Her severely mutilated body was later discovered based on his directions. Van V.'s lawyer argued for acquittal on the charge of disposing of the body, claiming there was no intent to conceal the cause of death.

However, the Court of Appeal disagreed. By wrapping the body in a tarp and placing it in the trunk, he had already concealed it. The court described the violent death as deeply traumatic for the victim's family, some of whom were present at the sentencing. "Whenever I see blood or a baseball bat, I envision mom's battered face," said one of the victim's children during the appeal hearing in early November.

The Public Prosecution Service demanded ten years in prison and mandatory treatment.