Suspect in Drenthe real estate feud accused of premeditated murder in couple's death

The suspect who confessed on Facebook to killing a husband and his wife in Weiteveen is formally suspected of premeditated murder, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Friday. The OM confirmed in a statement that there were several witnesses to the violence, including the victims' son, and that multiple weapons were used in the attack.

Richard K., 50, was brought in front of a magistrate on Friday, who remanded the suspect into custody for another 14 days while the investigation continues. He was also ordered to be held at a psychiatric facility for observation. K., who lives in Klazienaveen, stands accused of killing a 38-year-old Polish man in his Weiteveen home, and a 44-year-old Dutch woman shortly after she tried to escape the assault.

"Excessive force was used," the OM said. The male victim was "shot, stabbed and beaten," and the woman "was shot dead at close range." Prosecutors added, "Some of the violence was witnessed by people, including the son of the two who were killed."

K. is believed to have sold his parents' home in Weiteveen to the married couple in January 2023 when they moved with their two children from Noord-Holland to Drenthe. Several months later, the couple began making claims about the state of the home and property. The conflict between the two sides began to escalate in September.

K. and his wife claimed in videos to be the subject of repeated violent threats, with K. saying he killed the victims to protect his wife, children, and himself. The brother of the Polish man said otherwise, alleging that his relatives already planned to leave Weiteveen because of a "crazy neighbor."

The situation culminated with the violence on Tuesday. As K. killed the Polish man, his wife fled the home by car down an icy road. She wound up crashing into a tree, at which point K. is believed to have chased her down and shot her. He then broadcast himself live on Facebook to explain his rationale. Police arrested him without incident on the road. When he allegedly told them a gun was involved, police officers ran down the road to investigate.

To demonstrate their position that the killings were planned, the OM said, "Everything indicates that the suspect used several weapons that he took with him to the scene of the crime." The suspect had a permit to legally own firearms, the OM added. It was not yet clear if the weapons used in the incident were covered by the permit application. As the case remained under investigation, prosecutors were not prepared to discuss the permit and firearms involved.

"The Public Prosecution Service is aware that this incident is based on a longer-term conflict," adding that those involved had each contacted police several times, and tried to press charges at different points over the past year. These allegations were for "what they considered to be nuisance or criminal behavior by the other."