Man filmed girlfriend, took selfie with baby after stabbing her 258 times

Arnold O., a 24-year-old suspected of fatally stabbing his girlfriend, filmed the victim immediately after the attack using her own phone, and then took a selfie of himself holding their two-week-old baby. The woman, 22-year-old Jihaneve, was stabbed and slashed 258 times on July 18, 2024, in a home on the Weidedreef in the Seghwaert district of Zoetermeer. “She was stabbed wildly,” experts concluded during the trial at the court in The Hague.

During the trial, the court initially cited 287 stab and slash wounds, but the Public Prosecution Service later corrected this to 258 based on the autopsy report. Prosecutors have demanded 10 years in prison and compulsory psychiatric detention (TBS with mandatory treatment).

According to the prosecution, O. filmed his gravely injured girlfriend while she was still alive, using her phone. He then took a photo of himself and the baby, who was lying between blood spatters, likely from the mother. At that moment, the police were already at the front door, having been alerted by a nurse from the child health clinic who was scheduled to visit Jihaneve that day. “How does someone decide to film themselves while fatally injuring their partner?” the prosecutor asked. She added that no credible answer to that question had been given.

O. told the court he has no memory of the extreme violence. “It went black before my eyes,” he repeated several times. The court questioned how, in that mental state, he was still able to take videos and photos. “Am I a bad person?” he reportedly asked the victim while filming her.

At the time, Jihaneve was lying on a bed soaked in blood, with O. sitting on top of her. He said he took the selfie with the baby because he realized he wouldn’t see the child again for a long time. The baby remained physically unharmed.

Experts concluded that O. suffers from multiple mental disorders and warned that the risk of recurrence is high. The prosecution has adopted those conclusions.

The relationship between the suspect and the victim had been troubled for some time. Jihaneve’s family had been deeply concerned for her safety and was preparing to move her to relatives in Belgium. O. had previously been convicted of assaulting her. Neighbors reported hearing an argument between the couple the night before the fatal attack. O. had reportedly long suspected his girlfriend of cheating.