Drenthe murder suspect forcibly removed from court after outburst
Murder suspect Admilson R. was forcibly removed from the court in Leeuwarden after he had an outburst on Monday morning. The court was handling the appeal case against Admilson R. and his brother Marcos R. for the murders of three people in Drenthe in 2012 and 2013. Admilson R. jumped up and shouted that he deserves a life sentence, AD reports.
"You determine my punishment. But I determine my time", R. shouted, jumping up. Four guards grabbed him and dragged him out of the court room. It turned out that he had a small, sharp object - believed to be a razor blade - on him.
The court was discussing R.'s legal aid at the time of the outburst. R. indicated that he didn't want a lawyer, that he didn't want to be in the courtroom and that he deserves a life sentence. After the outburst, the court had a conversation with R. It was decided that his trial will be postponed for a maximum of four months. He will be assisted by a lawyer, but he does not have to attend further hearings. This decision was aided by R.'s lawyer telling the court that he was unable to prepare for the trial, due to R.'s attitude.
The trial against Marcos R. will continue today.
The brothers are suspected of shooting and killing 55-year-old Berend Smit from Dwingelooo in November 2012, and strangling Jan and Greet Veenendaal, both 77 years old, from Exloo to death in July 2013. In both cases money was stolen after the murders.
The brothers were initially sentenced to 30 years in prison, with institutionalized psychiatric treatment for Admilson R. The Public Prosecutor appealed, finding the sentences too low. In November last year, it seemed that the court was ready to rule on the appeal. But the case was postponed because the court wanted an additional investigation into Smit's death to determine whether his death was murder or manslaughter.
