Suspected gunman ID'd in burglary that left 72-year-old man dead last year

The judiciary has identified the possible gunman in the death of Sjaak Groot, 72, who was killed in a house robbery in Berkhout last year. An anonymous witness, who says they were threatened, identified the 29-year-old man from Noord-Scharwoude, Noord-Holland as the suspected shooter.

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) said this on Tuesday morning in an Alkmaar courtroom during an interim hearing against three suspects. According to the OM, these three and four others formed a gang that committed a series of very violent robberies in varying fashion.

Sjaak Groot was killed on June 14 last year when he caught burglars in his home in Berkhout, near Hoorn. He sustained critical injuries and tried to call the emergency services. He died with the phone in his hand. The police almost immediately linked this crime to a series of other violent robberies, mainly committed in the northern part of Noord-Holland.

Shortly after the fatal robbery, the police found the weapon with which Groot had been killed on a dead man. The trail led investigators to the seven suspects, now accused of forming a gang of robbers. On Monday, the OM announced that it might have the suspects stand trial together. On Tuesday, the prosecutor added that they would also face charges of participating in a criminal organization.

Over a year after Groot’s death, the investigation into the gang is still in full swing. The detectives encounter reluctance to make statements from people around the suspects. According to the OM, there are indications that the suspects are influencing witnesses.

The men who appeared in court on Tuesday - Deniz R. (26) from Obdam, Mark V. (30) from Opmeer, and former Alkmaar resident Dut M. (28) - were all allegedly involved in the robbery in which Groot’ was killed. Their lawyers asked that they be released from pre-trial detention due to a lack of hard evidence. But the OM wants to keep them in custody. “Defenseless victims were killed, shot at, tortured, and mistreated. The crimes increased in intensity, even after Sjaak Groot’s death.”

The court will decide on the suspects’ pre-trial detention later.

The four other suspects in the case will appear on October 31 and November 8. The substantive trial will be at the end of next year.