Suspect facing 10 years for killing Romanian Albert Heijn worker Antoneta Gjokja
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) recommended 10 years in prison with institutionalized psychiatric treatment against Jamel L. on Thursday for the murder of 36-year-old Antoneta Gjokja. The 57-year-old man killed her with multiple stab wounds at her job at an Albert Heijn branch on Turfmarkt in The Hague on June 20 last year.
In court on Thursday, L. said that he regretted killing the Romanian woman. “She was not the person I wanted,” he said during the hearing. “I did not enter the supermarket with the intention of stabbing someone. When I entered, all kinds of evil thoughts came up.”
He asked a shelf stocker where the knives were, grabbed a carving knife, and opened it while walking. “I grabbed a knife and did the deed,” the man said. He stabbed Gjojkja multiple times in the supermarket’s bread department, where she was working.
L. stressed that he didn’t plan to kill anyone but became “confused” and acted “on impulse.” He said he did not know the victim.
The suspect said he acted out of revenge for being arrested after stealing a carton of milk from an Albert Heijn branch in Zwijndrecht. “I spent 56 days in jail innocently and got injections in my ass. I took revenge for that.”
The police arrested L. shortly after the stabbing. A day later, the OM revealed that he had a “long and extensive” criminal record, including a previous conviction of attempted murder, and was known to have mental health problems.
Experts at the Pieter Baan Center observed L. and concluded that he killed Gokja under the influence of psychosis. They found that he could be held accountable but to a greatly diminished extent. The experts advised the court to sentence L. to compulsory treatment under long-term observation.
Antoneta Gjokja
Antoneta Gjokja was “extremely sweet and the most beautiful woman in the world,” her best friend, Elif, told Omroep West before the trial started. “She was an angel,” Elif said. “I don’t know anyone who ever said anything bad about her.”
Antoneta and her husband Ylli lived with Elif and her husband for a few months after moving to The Hague, and Antoneta was the godmother to Elif’s son. “We shared everything together and saw each other almost every day. Antonetta was more than a sister to me.” And her death destroyed Elif.
Elif heard about Antoneta’s murder from Ylli. “He called me and told me that Antoneta had died. I didn’t believe him. I told Ylli not to be so stupid. But then I got on the phone with the police officer standing next to him. It was real. It is a moment I will never forget,” Elif told the broadcaster.
“She still had so many dreams,” Elif said. “She had just completed training as a nail technician. She wanted to do something with that. And she was trying to start a family with Yilli. They had had several IVF treatments. They still wanted so much together. Not only Antoneta’s life was destroyed by the stabbing. Also, Ylli’s and mine.”
“Every Sunday, she was here at 11:00 a.m. to pick up my son. Then, they would go for a walk together through the city or to the playground. I still wait for her every Sunday. But then only Ylli comes. These are the moments I miss her,” Elif said. “My son dreams of her and regularly asks when Antoneta will come back. But how do you explain what happened to a 5-year-old child? That’s just not possible.”
