Suspect in psychiatrist's murder also suspected of attempted strangulation in Zutphen

Bretly D. (24) from Rotterdam is charged with attempted manslaughter in addition to the fatal shooting of Rotterdam psychiatrist Jean van Griensven. He tried to strangle a man in Zupthen and injure him with a knife. In the run-up to the first preliminary hearing next week, the Zutphen victim’s lawyer confirmed that her client was put in a chokehold and his throat was forcefully closed, among other things.

In October last year, Bretly D. managed to evade the police for days after Van Griensven’s murder, prompting the authorities to release his full name and photo. The police finally arrested him on October 25 at a hotel on the Prins Hendrikkade in Amsterdam, four days after the man in Zupthen reported being attacked by him.

During the hunt for the armed and dangerous D., the police only described the incident in Zupthen as a stabbing, likely during an argument that got out of hand. They made no mention of an attempted strangulation. “My client is the victim of a very serious crime. He realized afterward that he is lucky that he survived,” said lawyer Petra Breukink.

The man from Zutphen was stabbed in the leg, which the Public Prosecution Service (OM) considers an attempted aggravated assault. D. also destroyed several items in his home. “The impact of events on my client is massive,” his lawyer said. “He is a victim himself, but he also has to navigate the knowledge that a murder was committed in Rotterdam and what this must be like for the surviving relatives. That knowledge is complicated for him because, although he also feels like a victim, it is in contrast to what happened to the psychiatrist. And at the same time, he realizes, ‘How could it have turned out for me?’”

The Zutphen man will not be present at the start of the trial in the Rotterdam District Court on Wednesday, where the state of the investigation will be discussed. “It’s to protect himself. He is an unintentional victim and unintentionally involved in a very serious case.”

Attorney Sébas Diekstra is representing the relatives of the psychiatrist who was killed. He said the surviving family members will receive more information from the Public Prosecution Service before the hearing. He emphasized that this was “a huge loss” for his clients.

Van Griensven died on October 13 in his home on Handelsplein in Rotterdam as a result of a shooting incident. He was found by firefighters who were sent to the scene to extinguish a fire at the location.

D.’s attorney did not want to comment before the start of the trial. In November, defense counsel Errol Jobse said that D. was shocked because he had been on the most wanted list for days but that he would deny all charges against him. He was expected to continue to invoke his right to remain silent, Jobse previously stated.