Suspect released in man's New Year's Day death previously tied to argument over dog
The 18-year-old man who was in police custody in connection with the death of a man in Leek was released from custody Wednesday evening, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said. The victim, 52-year-old Bert Suurd, was reportedly beaten up after he argued with a group of young people. Sources told Dagblad van het Noorden that the argument was because the young people threw fireworks at Suurd's dog.
Police confirmed in a statement that the man was assaulted after the argument, and that he died a short time later in his home at about 2:30 a.m.. on New Year's Day. The newspaper reported that the man's injuries were consistent with someone who had been punched and kicked, and received blows to the head.
Prosecutors did not fully go along with that version of events. An autopsy showed that Suurd's injuries were minor, and did not directly lead to his death. A cause of death has not been determined.
"The investigation shows that the suspect was involved in this confrontation, after which he was arrested. All witnesses who were on site at the time of the incident have now been interviewed. This includes the young people from the group of which the suspect was also a member," the OM said in an update.
Although the 18-year-old suspect was released, he is still considered a suspect in the case. He will remain one until the investigation into the argument is completed. After reviewing camera images obtained from the scene, they determined there was no reason to keep the man in custody for now.
The OM also said, "The witnesses and the suspect were cooperative, and appeared very affected by the victim's death." No other arrests are expected to be made. Both the suspect and victim are from Leek, a village about 10 kilometers from Groningen.
Prosecutors also cautioned against inciting others to take revenge against the suspect, or releasing personal information about the suspect or his friends for the purpose of intimidation. The latter, known as doxxing, became illegal in the Netherlands on January 1.
