Seven found guilty in Dutch journalist’s execution; Will serve up to 28 years in prison

The court in Amsterdam sentenced Delano G. and Kamil E. to 28 years in prison for perpetrating the murder of crime reporter Peter R. de Vries. Krystian M. got 26 years for the same crimes. The court described De Vries’s murder as “ruthless and reckless” and showing a “complete disregard for the life of a fellow human being,” according to Parool and NOS liveblogs from the courtroom. Two suspects were acquitted, and four others were sentenced to between 4 weeks and 14 years in prison.

De Vries was shot on 6 July 2021 on Lange Leidsedwarsstraat in the center of Amsterdam after appearing on RTL Boulevard. He succumbed to his injuries in the hospital nine days later. The OM is convinced De Vries was murdered because he acted as a confidant of the key witness in the Marengo trial against Ridouan Taghi and his gang. Key witness Nabil B.’s brother and lawyer were previously assassinated. Taghi denied the accusation and is not a suspect in this case, but was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year in the Marengo case.

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) charged all suspects with belonging to a criminal organization. However, according to the court, there was not enough evidence to prove this. The activities were not clearly coordinated, the court said. “These are individual persons or groups of persons who do not form an organization. There was no sustainable and structural partnership,” the court said. It also scrapped the “with terrorist intent” charge against some suspects. The evidence does not show that the intention of De Vries’s murder was to frighten the population. According to the court, the fact that society was shocked by the murder does not make the attack terrorism.

The court convicted Delano G., Kamil E., and Krystian M. of murdering Peter R. de Vries. According to the OM, Delano G. is the gunman who shot and killed De Vries, Kamil E. drove G. to the scene of the shooting and acted as getaway driver afterward, and Krystian M. organized the crime reporter’s murder by acting as the mediator between the person who ordered De Vries killed and G. and E., who committed the murders.

“The nature of the crime and the way it was carried out means that there was a premeditated plan. All three were aware, and everyone’s role was important for the plan to succeed,” the court said.

The court sentenced G. and E. to 28 years in prison and M. to 26 years. The OM had demanded life against them, but because Delano G., Kamil E., and Krystian M. committed one murder and had not been convicted of murder or manslaughter in the past, the court considered life in prison inappropriate.

During the trial, M. said that he was pressured to pass on these messages. But the court found that no reasonable defense. “Krystian M. appears to have been under pressure, but that pressure did not cause such a state of mind that he could no longer do otherwise,” the court said.

Delano G. and Kamil E. already stood trial, but the ruling was postponed just before it happened because the authorities arrested new suspects. The court eventually ordered a retrial because one of the judges relocated in the meantime and to fold in the new suspects. The OM demanded life in prison against them in the first trial, too.

Konrad W. was the first person hired to gun down De Vries, but he pulled out at the last minute because he found it too risky to shoot someone in Amsterdam's city center without a silencer. He is also accused of supplying firearms, the getaway car, and gasoline to set the getaway car on fire. The court sentenced him to 14 years in prison, convicted of complicity in De Vries’s murder and illegal firearm possession.

Gerower M.C. and Erickson O. were charged with raising fear with terrorist intent by filming the seriously injured De Vries immediately after the attack and posting the footage on social media. The court scrapped the “with terrorist intent” part of the charge but convicted them of complicity in De Vries’s murder. They were both sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The OM charged Ludgardo S. with helping plan the murder with terrorist intent and participating in a criminal organization. During the trial, S. weepingly denied any involvement in De Vries's murder. The court acquitted him of complicity in the murder due to insufficient evidence. He got 4 weeks in prison for a drug crime.

The court acquitted Divainy K. and Christopher W. They were both accused of participating in a criminal organization, but according to the court, there was not enough evidence to prove that. According to the OM, W. knew about the murder and motive but was arrested for a separate crime before he could actively participate in the assassination.

The Dutch legal system allows both prosecutors and defendants to file an appeal if they dispute the verdict or sentencing. Typically, an appeal has to be filed within 14 days after the verdict has been read in court.