Prisoner suspected of killing his cellmate made “strange remarks” over the phone

The man suspected of killing his cellmate in the Krimpen aan den IJssel prison in March made “strange remarks” on the phone. He complained on the evening of March 14 that it “stank” in his cell, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said at the first hearing on the case in the Rotterdam court. The victim was found dead on the morning of March 15.

The 24-year-old man was beaten, strangled, and smothered, the OM claimed. The victim was incarcerated for robbery. The suspect, Abdel T., was in prison serving a 10-year sentence for stabbing a person to death in 2021. He was also ordered to serve mandatory time in psychiatric care.

The exact time of the victim’s death is still unknown. The two were locked into their cell for the evening at about 4:45 p.m. on March 14. Prison guards opened the door at around 7:30 a.m. the next day. The body of the victim, a man in his twenties, was found soon after.

The OM reported on Monday that the suspect was suddenly making many calls on March 14. Not only did he say that his cell smelled, he also said that he was “alone” and that his cellmate was asleep.

T. has stated that his cellmate attacked him and that he needed to defend himself. After that, he says he went into psychosis. He is still undergoing a psychiatric examination at the Pieter Baan Center, a forensic psychiatric center.

The next hearing about the case will be held on August 29. Both Monday’s hearing and the upcoming hearing are meant to provide an update on the case in the run-up to the trial.