Suspect in Oosterhout triple homicide refuses to comment, pretrial detention continues

Sman O., 24, one of the primary suspects in the triple homicide in Oosterhout, Noord-Brabant, has refused to give a statement so far, it was revealed Monday during the second preliminary hearing in the widely reported case. He is believed to have been the shooter responsible for killing two 32-year-old men and a 25-year-old man on March 28, in broad daylight.

Of the three suspects, only O. appeared in the high-security courtroom at Schiphol. His co-defendants are 29-year-old Tobias J. and 28-year-old Veronika K. All three are Swedish nationals and were arrested in June.

The court rejected O.’s lawyer’s request to end his client’s pretrial detention. The judge ruled that the evidence against him is substantial enough to justify continued custody. DNA traces of O. were discovered in the getaway vehicle.

The incidents consisted of two closely timed shootings. The first occurred on Loevesteinlaan in Oosterhout, where a car was blocked by the suspects’ vehicle, reportedly driven by J. Prosecutors claim that O. exited the car and shot at the trapped driver.

The suspects fled but soon returned to open fire on the occupants of another vehicle nearby on Sint Antoniusstraat. Two of the victims died shortly after the attacks, while the third passed away in a hospital several weeks later from his injuries.

Veronika K. is suspected of acting in a supporting role. Prosecutors claim she collected the other suspects from Zaventem Airport in Belgium and provided items that were later used in the killings.

The motive behind the murders remains largely unknown. Europol recently mentioned the case in a statement, noting that a task force was set up earlier this year to tackle “violence-as-a-service,” a trend in which criminals recruit young people to carry out violent acts. The Oosterhout killings are seen as a case in point.

The case will not be fully addressed for some time, as the investigation remains ongoing, according to the Public Prosecution Service. Authorities have requested information from Snapchat in the United States since the suspects are believed to have communicated frequently via the app.

The prosecution expects it will be at least July next year before the final case file can be submitted. The next preliminary hearing is set for March 4.