Suspect convicted in 2023 fatal machete stabbing in Rotterdam city center

The District Court in Rotterdam convicted 20-year-old Tashyke L. from Spijkenisse in the slaying of 22-year-old Richairo Mariën from Helmond. L. was accused of attacking the victim with a machete on March 29, 2023, on the Korte Lijnbaan in the city center of Rotterdam. The court convicted L. on Wednesday, and sentenced him to eight years in prison, and mandatory psychiatric treatment at a TBS facility for the murder.

Mariën was stabbed, hit, and slashed 15 times during the attack. He passed away from his injuries on the same night. L. was arrested in the nearby vicinity shortly after the incident.

He was friends with the victim, but the two had a falling out over borrowed clothing. Mariën was upset that L. had not returned the items that he was lent.

“A very shocking crime,” the court said about the attack on the Korte Lijnbaan. "You stabbed Richairo several times with a machete in broad daylight. He was only 22 years old, was in the middle of life, and dreamed of a future together with his girlfriend. You took that future away from him."

The stabbing happened in the middle of the street. “Many children saw it all happen. They were very shocked,” said the court. This also applied to the employees of the nearby McDonald’s where Richairo had sought help.

L. claimed that it was self-defense, but the court did not agree with this argument. “You cannot see that on the footage. You attacked him.”

L. was also on probation for a previous conviction of a violent crime at the time of the stabbing. The defendant was diagnosed with several disorders during psychiatric evaluations. He has trouble controlling his impulses and aggression.

The sentence is equal to the recommendation set by the Public Prosecution Service.