Ex acquitted of Amsterdam woman's brutal murder in 2016

The district court in Amsterdam acquitted 46-year-old Robert L. of killing his partner Susanne Boon in 2016 on Tuesday. Prosecutors had recommended that L. be sentenced to 14 years in prison for Boon's death.

The body of Boon, who was 51 years old at the time, was found in a forest in Nunspeet in March 2016. The woman had died as a result of strangulation. L. had reported her missing in January 2016. He said that she had left their home in Amsterdam-West while drunk after they had gotten into an argument and never returned.

According to the court, there are pieces of evidence against L., and his behavior surrounding Boon’s disappearance was peculiar, but there is not enough hard evidence for a conviction.

L. denied the charges and used his right to remain silent during the hearing. The court finds it sad that he has left Boon’s relatives and loved ones with many unanswered questions.

One of the suspicious behaviors by L. was his attempt to purchase a firearm in the period before the murder. The court declared that these accusations were proven and sentenced him to 20 days in prison for it. However, because the man has already served this time in pre-trial detention, he does not need to return to prison.

L. was arrested in 2016 but was released shortly after the arrest. He was then arrested again in 2017, but he also only served two weeks in jail on that occasion.

During the night of her disappearance, Boon’s youngest daughter, who was seven years old at the time, was present in the home on the Jacob van Lennepstraat. In 2016, she told officers that she heard an argument and a door being slammed.

In 2023, she added that she heard “choking noises.” Based on the opinion of an expert, the court does not rule out that this memory is not genuine.