Almere man gets 12 years for smothering his mother to death

The District Court in Lelystad convicted 56-year-old Richard van der L. of killing his own mother in her home on Zuidwoldepad in Almere. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison during the Friday hearing. He was also convicted on accusations that he stole her wallet, mobile phone, handbag and other items.

The victim, Gerrie Revers, was found dead in her bed on Saturday, May 28, 2022. The cause of death was determined to be suffocation. The motive behind the alleged murder remains unknown.

Her son was arrested as a suspect the following September. A trace evidence analysis determined that his DNA was also present on two pillowcases.

His company van was spotted near the house on May 27. According to the data recovered from the van, he was driving back to Lelystad via the A6 around midnight and slowed down on the highway, exactly at the location where the mobile phone and the handbag were later found by the police.

The wallet was found inside the purse. The court concluded that the suspect threw these objects from his van.

The court ruled that it was incontrovertible that L. smothered his mother and took the items from the house.