Man accused in mistaken ID murder of Amsterdam DJ now faces 30 years in jail

The Public Prosecution Service recommended a jail sentence of 29 years and nine months against Noureddine H. for allegedly planning a murder which inadvertently targeted the wrong person. The 43-year-old is accused of crafting a plot in which Amsterdam DJ Djordy Latumahina was shot and killed by accident.

H. is the last suspect to appear in court in connection with the fatal shooting on the Koningin Wilhelminaplein in Amsterdam-West on October 8, 2016. The case is known as a mistaken identity murder because the gunmen mistook Latumahina (31) for another person. The planned target, Gino M., drove a similar car and regularly parked in the same garage.

Latumahina's girlfriend was also shot in the shooting, which caused a permanent physical disability. Their two-year-old daughter, who was in the back of the car, remained unharmed.

Latumahina's mother used her right to speak in court this week. "Losing a child is the worst thing that can happen to a mother," she said. "There are no words for it, and I cannot understand it. He was ruthlessly and cruelly robbed of his life with automatic guns."

Seven suspects have been convicted and sentenced for their involvement in the shooting over the last few years. Both shooters were given jail times of 30 years and almost 23 years.

Amsterdammer H. was also suspected of plotting a murder attempt on Naoufal "Noffel" F. in Berlin, and leading a criminal organization. The evidence for calling the shots in the murder attempts is mainly based on a string of decrypted messages, which have already been extensively assessed by district courts and appeals courts in previous cases.

Prosecutors said the messages prove that H. gave the orders and paid the men. H. denies having written the messages.

H.'s lawyer is pleading for an acquittal due to a lack of evidence. "Crucial information is not in the file," said the attorney, who quoted from the newest string of encrypted messages. "The evidence construction from the OM is dependent on suggestions from each other."

The defense emphasized that the messages in question were sent in April and May 2016, while the shooting incident happened in October. Communication from the months in between is missing. "This is a huge blind spot that we must be well aware of," said the councilor.

H. was arrested in Marbella, Spain, in May 2021. The OM claims he had false identification documents, like an ID card and driver's license from Austria.

The court will announce its decision on June 24.