24-year sentence recommended in mistaken identity murder of healthcare director

The Openbaar Ministerie (OM) has recommended a 24-year prison sentence for 58-year-old René F. from Schiedam over his alleged role in the murder of mental healthcare executive Rob Zweekhorst. Authorities believe the killing was a case of mistaken identity.

Zweekhorst was fatally shot on 1 January 2014 in Berkel en Rodenrijs, Zuid-Holland, while walking his two dogs. Investigators believe he may have been wrongly identified as the intended target, alleged drug kingpin Dennis van den B., who lived in the same area.

The Public Prosecution Service believes that F. ordered the murder after a shipment of 300 kilograms of cocaine was intercepted by customs in 2013. The case against the suspected gunman was dismissed in March 2023 due to a lack of evidence.

F. remains free while awaiting judgment. He denies having ordered the killing and accuses the OM of pursuing the case with tunnel vision and conducting a “witch hunt.”

His lawyer has called for his acquittal. Prosecutors, however, say multiple witnesses independently identified F. as the person behind the alleged murder plot targeting Van den B., which ultimately resulted in Zweekhorst’s death. Those claims are backed up by WhatsApp exchanges and wiretapped conversations, according to the OM.

“12 years after the attack, we are trying to stay standing among the ruins,” the victim’s widow said in court in Rotterdam. In her victim impact statement, she described the icy silence in the house where laughter once used to be heard. “Now there is only the crater left by the mistaken-identity killing.”

The widow spoke partly on behalf of their two children. “A bunch of brainless criminals thought they could quickly take care of a job. Their mistake became our permanent reality,” the woman said. “The promise Rob and I made to give our children a carefree childhood was completely shattered by the hail of bullets.”

F. has a prior criminal record and is well known to law enforcement authorities. In a separate case, he previously served a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for drug trafficking. OM has recommended that he be remanded into custody immediately following the verdict if he is found guilty.

The court is scheduled to announce its ruling on June 15.