Court is ready to issue a ruling in conspiracy to kill journalist Peter R. de Vries

The court case regarding the murder of Peter R. de Vries was finalized on Wednesday after a last procedural hearing, and the court said it will soon be ready to announce its verdict. This will be on June 12, almost three years after the crime reporter was gunned down in the city center of Amsterdam. The court wants all nine suspects to be present during the announcement of the verdict.

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) recommended life in prison in January against three men who are suspected of involvement in De Vries's murder. This is about alleged shooter Delano G., and two Polish men: suspected getaway driver Kamil E., and Kristian M., who was accused of being a "murder broker."

The six other suspects heard recommendations ranging from three to 21 years. They are suspected of planning the murder of De Vries, or filming the crime reporter wounded and bleeding on the street immediately after the shooting . They then shared the videos on social media in the hope of generating widespread attention, the OM alleged.

De Vries was shot on July 6, 2021, on the Lange Leidsedwarsstraat in Amsterdam after filming an episode of RTL Boulevard. He passed away from his injuries nine days later.

Initially, the court was going to issue its verdict against the alleged shooter and driver in 2022. A lifelong prison sentence was also recommended against them at that time. However, parts of the case had to be retried after a new witness was announced.

The witness, assigned number 5089 and given the nickname "Eddy," claimed that Krystian M. arranged the murder for an unstated Moroccan man. Eddy claimed M. referred to this man as his "uncle."

The OM believes "uncle" is a code for convicted organized crime boss Ridouan Taghi. He has denied this accusation before and was not formally named as a suspect in this case.

Taghi was tried during the extensive Marengo criminal procedure, which encompassed a series of street-level assassinations, attempted killings, and plots to commit murder. Taghi was convicted in that case and sentenced to life in prison. An appeal in the case was filed earlier this year.

Prosecutors are convinced that De Vries was murdered because he was acting as a confidante to Nabil B., the key prosecution witness in the Marengo trial. B.'s brother and attorney were also murdered earlier during the court proceedings.