Rotterdam woman convicted of murder after stabbing partner 24 times

A Rotterdam woman, 36, was sentenced to ten years in prison by the Dordrecht court on Tuesday for killing her 37-year-old partner. The attack took place on March 16 of last year at her residence on Brautigamstraat in Rotterdam’s Feijenoord neighborhood. The victim sustained around 24 stab wounds to the neck, chest, and back.

The couple shared four children, who were asleep at home when the fatal incident occurred. Shedaya van la P., the suspect, said she acted in self-defense, asserting that her partner had tried to attack her with a knife.

The court, like the Public Prosecution Service (OM), rejected the claim that the woman acted in self-defense. Her account conflicts with the timeline indicated by phone records and does not align with the location of the stab wounds or the marks on the mattress. The OM had recommended a prison sentence of 12 years.

The court ruled that it is extremely unlikely the victim was still attacking when he had already been stabbed twice with a large knife, which the suspect still held. According to testimonies, the couple had been arguing in the lead-up to the crime, with tensions reported the evening and night before the incident.

"The suspect violently and suddenly ended the life of her partner, the man she had been with for more than twelve years and with whom she had four children." The court noted that the defensive wounds suggest the victim had attempted to protect himself.

The woman does not have to return to prison yet. She was given permission to follow the trial in freedom due to personal circumstances. Her release continues until the conviction is confirmed and the sentence is finalized, such as after an appeal.