Suspects convicted of killing attorney Derk Wiersum; Sentenced to 30 years in prison

The criminal court in Amsterdam sentenced Moreno B. and Giermo B. to 30 years in prison for the murder of 44-year-old criminal defense attorney Derk Wiersum on September 18, 2019. During closing arguments, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) sought the rare sentence of life imprisonment against both men.

The criminal court in Amsterdam sentenced Moreno B. and Giermo B. to 30 years in prison for the murder of 44-year-old criminal defense attorney Derk Wiersum on September 18, 2019. During closing arguments, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) sought the rare sentence of life imprisonment against both men.

In the past, the suspects have been charged with possession of a firearm and violent crimes but not for murder or manslaughter.

The defense attorney was shot at least six times in front of his home around 7:30 a.m. The shooter approached the man sitting in the car, but his gun jammed. Wiersum proceeded to get out of the car, at which point the shooter fired several more times. A bullet to the head ultimately proved to be fatal.

According to the court, 33-year-old Moreno B. and 37-year-old Giermo B. worked closely together to prepare and carry out the murder plot. It was not conclusively established which of the two fired the fatal shots, but that is inconsequential, the court concluded, stating that both are equally responsible. Giermo B. was said to be the main driver of the stolen Opel Combo get-away car.

The court stated that the defendants intentionally killed Wiersum and ruled out other scenarios such as a robbery or a kidnapping that went wrong. Yet, it has still not been determined who ordered the attack on Wiersum.

In the judgment, the court pointed out that in addition to Wiersum, a brother of Nabil B. and his confidant Peter R. de Vries were also murdered. According to many, the "elimination of the key witness' lawyer" to intimidate B. and his surroundings was the sole purpose of the murder. After the murder of lawyer Wiersum, the Marengo process came under high tension.

The court did not make a statement about this because the investigation was solely aimed at the executors, not at the clients. According to the court, it is not even established that B. and B. knew that Wiersum was the lawyer of the key witness, although they were aware that he was an attorney.

Police arrested Giermo B. two weeks after the attack. Moreno B. was taken into custody in January 2020.

A third suspect Anouar T. had also been arrested for delivering the stolen car to the gunmen. He was later let go due to insufficient evidence.