Resumption of the trial of suspects in the murder of a Dutch reporter – The Journal

By Samuel A. Smith Last updated Jun 7, 2022

A court is reviewing evidence and prosecutors are expected to make conviction requests in the trial of two suspects in the shooting death of Dutch journalist Peter R

AMSTERDAM (AP) — A Dutch court is reviewing evidence on Tuesday and prosecutors are expected to impose sentences in the trial of two suspects in the fatal shooting of police journalist Peter R. de Vries, who was brazenly shot nearly a year ago. year, setting off a national outpouring of grief and the government vowing to crack down on Amsterdam’s increasingly violent drug underworld.

Prosecutors suspect a 21-year-old Dutchman identified only as Delano G. of shooting De Vries at point-blank range in a downtown Amsterdam street on July 6 last year. The campaign journalist and television personality died nine days later from his injuries. If convicted, the suspect faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Prosecutors say the two suspects were arrested less than an hour after the shootout in a getaway car on a highway near The Hague with the gun used to shoot De Vries in the car.

G. declined to answer questions about his alleged involvement in the shooting. The suspected driver of the leak, a Pole, Kamil E., on Tuesday denied any involvement in the shooting.

Prosecutors have not publicly identified a suspect they say gave the order to kill De Vries, who was 64 when he was killed.

De Vries’ son and daughter are expected to make victim impact statements at Amsterdam District Court later on Tuesday. Lawyers for the suspects are due to speak at a separate hearing next week, with judges due to deliver their verdict on July 14.

De Vries made a name for himself as a crime reporter who reported on and wrote a bestselling book about the 1983 kidnapping of beer magnate Freddy Heineken. Later in his career, he campaigned tirelessly to solve cold cases. Prior to his shooting, De Vries had served as an adviser and confidant to a witness in the trial of the alleged leader and other members of a criminal gang that police described as an “oiled-up killing machine”.

The suspected gang leader, Ridouan Taghi, was extradited to the Netherlands from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2019 and is currently on trial.

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Associated Press writer Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, contributed.

FILE – Dutch journalist Peter R. de Vries arrives for a live television broadcast in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Thursday, January 31, 2008. The trial of suspects accused of killing Dutch investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries was due to start in Amsterdam , Netherlands, Thursday January 31, 2008. De Vries, a famous Dutch reporter was shot dead in a brazen attack in Amsterdam and died Thursday July 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File )

FILE – A photo and floral tributes mark the spot where journalist Peter R. de Vries was shot dead in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, July 8, 2021. The trial with the suspects accused of killing the journalist from Dutch investigation Peter R. de Vries resumed in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Monday, June 7, 2022. De Vries, a famous Dutch reporter was shot dead in a brazen attack in Amsterdam and died Thursday, July 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

Film crews wait outside the court where the trial of suspects charged with the murder of Dutch investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries began in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Tuesday, June 7, 2022. On the evening of July 6, 2021 , de Vries was shot in the head after leaving the RTL Boulevard television studio in the capital where he appeared as a guest. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Lawyers for alleged gunman Delano G. Ronald van der Horst, left, in Anique Slijters, arrive at court where the trial with the suspects accused of killing Dutch investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries has resumed in Amsterdam , the Netherlands, Tuesday June 7, 2022. On the evening of July 6, 2021, de Vries was shot in the head after leaving the RTL Boulevard television studio in the capital where he had appeared as a ‘guest. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

An undercover police vehicle arrives at the court where the trial with the suspects charged with the murder of Dutch investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries has resumed in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Tuesday, June 7, 2022. On the evening of June 6 July 2021, de Vries was shot in the head after leaving the RTL Boulevard television studio in the capital where he appeared as a guest. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Film crews wait outside the court where the trial with the suspects accused of killing Dutch investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries resumed in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Tuesday, June 7, 2022. On the evening of the July 6, 2021, de Vries was shot in the head after leaving the RTL Boulevard television studio in the capital where he appeared as a guest. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Ayse Cimen, lawyer for alleged getaway car driver Kamil E., arrives at court where the trial with the suspects charged with the murder of Dutch investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries resumed in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Tuesday 7th June 2022. On the evening of 6th July 2021 de Vries was shot in the head after leaving the RTL Boulevard television studio in the capital where he had appeared as a guest. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)