Suspect in Peter R. de Vries murder refuses to speak during appeal hearing

The man suspected of the fatal shooting of crime reporter Peter R. de Vries “cannot and does not dare” to make a statement about it, his lawyer told the court during Wednesday’s appeal hearing in the murder case.

De Vries was shot on July 6, 2021, in the Lange Leidsedwarsstraat in central Amsterdam after appearing on the television show RTL Boulevard. He died nine days later from his injuries.

On Tuesday, the presiding judge of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal made a strong plea to 26-year-old Delano G., who has mostly refused to speak. As a result, a “pitch-black image” of him is emerging, the judge said on Tuesday, as evidence suggests he agreed to carry out the killing shortly before it happened, possibly even on the same day.

Messages exchanged before and after the murder point to extreme ruthlessness. The judge questioned whether G. realizes that by staying silent, he leaves many issues unresolved. “That choice has consequences,” the judge said. “For you and your family, but also for the victim’s loved ones.”

Attorney Ronald van der Horst said, “We all recognize the appeal that has been made to him. But at the end of the day, the fact remains: he cannot and does not dare to make a statement in this case.”

Earlier proceedings revealed that several suspects claimed they were pressured to take part in the killing. The alleged getaway driver, Kamil E., testified this week that he was originally assigned to carry out the murder of the crime reporter but backed out. He said he was then forced to drive the car, under threat that his mother would be murdered if he refused.

The court sentenced G. to 28 years in prison, despite prosecutors having recommended a life sentence. Life sentences had also been sought for Kamil E. and the alleged middleman Krystian M., but the court handed down 28 years for Kamil E. and just over 26 years for M., the maximum penalty applicable to him in this case.

Through her lawyer, De Vries’ girlfriend stated that attending the appeal hearing in the murder case is “unbearable” for her. On Wednesday, Tahmina Akefi’s lawyer read her written statement in the secured Schiphol courtroom, describing the killing of her partner as shockingly cruel. “The idea of facing the suspects again is intolerable,” she said.

Akefi has decided, “for her own protection,” not to be present at the appeal hearings taking place this week and at the end of the month. De Vries’ children and their mother will make use of their right to speak on Thursday, although they have attended the sessions earlier this week.

Akefi stated in her declaration that she hopes “the full truth will emerge” and that the identity of the person who ordered the murder will be revealed. She believes that the arrest of Raily B. in April this year “adds another piece to the puzzle.” B. is reportedly responsible, among other things, for making payments to the suspects involved in the case.

The “puzzle is far from complete,” Akefi states. She adds that only once it is finished, “can true grieving take place.”