Donny M. found guilty of murder, abduction & sexual assault of 9-year old Gino
The District Court in Limburg convicted Donny M. of abducting, raping, and murdering 9-year-old Gino van der Straeten in the summer of 2022. The 25-year-old man was also convicted of possession and distribution of child pornography. The court sentenced him to 25 years in prison with forced psychiatric treatment.
The judge in the Maastrict courtroom ordered that M. undergo mandatory psychiatric treatment for the rest of his life, as well as monitoring and probation for life should he be released from incarceration. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) had demanded 28 years plus institutionalized psychiatric treatment (TBS) against the man.
Gino disappeared from a playground in Kerkrade near his sister’s home on June 1, 2022. Gino was visiting his sister because his mother was ill. The boy’s disappearance triggered an Amber Alert and the police and volunteers from far and wide spent many hours combing the area for the boy.
M. was arrested three days later and told the police where to find Gino’s body, wrapped in garbage bags and dumped behind a burned-out house near M.’s home in Geleen. M. confessed two years ago, but the investigation took a long time because the man’s story did not always match the trace evidence.
During the trial, M. said that he spotted Gino while driving around Kerkrade that evening and knew immediately that he wanted to “do something” to the boy. He spent some time playing football with Gino at the playground and then offered to give the boy a ride home, but abducted him instead.
That matched what surveillance and doorbell camera footage from the area showed. The footage depicted M. following Gino by car and on foot for about 12 minutes and spending time playing football with and grooming the boy. Gino got in M.’s car and M. forced him to sit on the floor in front of the front passenger seat. The court considered the camera footage credible.
The court found it convincing that M. raped Gino. The autopsy showed evidence that sexual abuse occurred while the boy was still alive. The cause of Gino’s death was the deprivation of oxygen by both strangulation and smothering.
The court considered a murder conviction appropriate because M.’s behavior clearly showed a plan and intent, supported by the use of loud music to cover up the boy’s screams, and searches on his phone about how to smother an individual.
