Man denies fatally stabbing Bulgarian woman in Amsterdam home

The 50-year-old José van der W. has denied involvement with the stabbing of a 56-year-old Bulgarian woman in a home on the Nieuwendijk in Amsterdam city center, which he is accused of. "When I left the house when we said goodbye, she was still alive," Van der W. said on Thursday at a first public hearing in his case at the court in Amsterdam.

The victim was allegedly stabbed to death during the overnight hours of May 3 to May 4. The suspect, who lives in Tiel, visited the woman for a couple of hours, said the Public Prosecution Service (OM) while shedding light on the investigation.

A neighbor heard an argument at around 3 a.m., which, according to him, ended with "a cry for help that went through marrow and bone." Shortly afterward, Van der W. is said to have left the house to drive back to Tiel.

After the concerned neighbor made a report, the police checked the home on May 4. They found the lifeless body of the woman there and a large amount of traces of blood. The investigation has shown that this was not just the woman's blood but also the suspects. Van der W. was arrested on May 5.

Blood was also found on the street outside the home on the Nieuwendijk going towards Van der W.s car, which was parked somewhere else. Witnesses have said that the man's shirt and shoes were covered in blood. Both the clothing items have now disappeared.

The suspect says that the day before the woman's death, he was wounded twice in a hand while cleaning an aquarium and while cutting meat. "Not the most plausible scenario," the public prosecutor judged. According to Van der W., the blood found on the victim was the result of a nosebleed in the woman.

Two knives were found in the home, with one of those having to be the murder weapon.

Van der W. remained silent initially and then denied the crime. He told the court he had "an extraordinarily blissful relationship" with the woman. According to the officer, this observation is at odds with the impressions of the neighbor, who stated about arguments between Van der W. and the victim. The exact nature of Van der W.'s relationship with the woman is still unknown.

The investigation into the case is complete except for a few parts. The following interim hearing is on November 6. Van der W. remains in custody.