Getaway driver finally admits link to journalist’s shocking murder; Promised €80,000

Kamil E., suspected of involvement in the 2021 murder of crime reporter Peter R. de Vries, admitted during his appeal that he was originally supposed to kill De Vries. He was to receive 80,000 euros for the job. He traveled to Amsterdam multiple times for the assignment and saw De Vries in person three times, he told the court Monday in the secured courtroom at Schiphol.

E. refused to carry out the murder, but because “someone” said he knew too much, he had to drive the eventual shooter to Amsterdam. Otherwise, he would have been killed himself. He says he does not know who hired him and does not want to discuss it further. He also says he did not know De Vries personally. Delano G. was reportedly driven to Amsterdam by E. and there shot De Vries. Delano G. remains silent.

During the trial, it had already been discussed that E., 39, was initially approached as the shooter and had conducted multiple reconnaissance trips in Amsterdam. “I lied back then,” he said, referring to the statements he previously gave.

Before the appeal, E. was sentenced by the court to 28 years in prison after prosecutors demanded a life sentence. He said he believes the sentence is too harsh because he was ultimately not the shooter but the driver. He repeatedly emphasized that he acted under duress. “I was under pressure. I wanted to go back to Poland, I wanted to flee,” E. said.

Delano G. was also sentenced to 28 years before the appeal, following a life sentence request. E. and G. fled after the murder but were arrested shortly afterward on the A4 highway. Police recovered, among other things, the murder weapon and phones containing incriminating messages in the (stolen) getaway car.

The appeal hearing began Monday shortly after 10:00 a.m. in the secured courtroom at Schiphol. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) raised an objection to the way one of the main suspects, Krystian M., was dressed. M., 30, appeared in court wearing a hoodie and refused to remove it. “Is that because it’s too cold in this courtroom?” the attorney general asked sarcastically. “I object to it.” According to NU.nl, M. said he wanted to remain as unrecognizable as possible, especially for the two courtroom sketch artists.

The appeal is expected to last several months, with four hearing days scheduled this week. Prosecutors’ sentencing requests are expected Thursday, and the defendants’ lawyers’ closing arguments are scheduled for later this month. The court is expected to issue a ruling by the end of the year.

De Vries was shot on July 6, 2021, in the Lange Leidsedwarsstraat in central Amsterdam after appearing on RTL Boulevard. He died nine days later from his injuries. A motive for the murder has never been officially established, but it is widely believed to be connected to De Vries’s role as a confidant of Nabil B., the key witness in the large-scale Marengo assassination trial. Ridouan Taghi, the main suspect in the Marengo case, is not a suspect in De Vries’s murder.