The two suspects in the Peter de Vries murder case appeared in court for the first time on Monday (October 18, 2021). The main hearing is due to begin in the spring.
Amsterdam – At a hearing in preparation for the trial of the murder of the Dutch investigative reporter Peter de Vries, the two suspects first appeared in an Amsterdam court on Monday (October 18, 2021). One suspect is silent, the other protests his innocence. The trial is expected to start in spring 2022 – until then, according to the court ruling on Monday, the defendants will remain in custody.
The two suspects, 21 and 35 years old at the time of the crime, are accused of murdering the Dutch investigative reporter on July 6 of this year. According to investigators, one of the two accused, 21-year-old Delano G., shot de Vries while leaving a television studio on the street. The second suspect, Kamil E., reportedly drove the getaway car.
After murder of investigative reporter Peter de Vries: Prosecutor sees a lot of evidence
While the 21-year-old alleged shooter did not comment at the first court hearing, Kamil E. protested his innocence: “I didn’t kill anyone, I didn’t know anything about the murder, I didn’t see a weapon,” said the native Pole E., who was accompanied by an interpreter during his testimony. He would have received the car from two unknown men – he would have been instructed to take someone from one part of Amsterdam to another.
Prosecutors in Amsterdam reported a variety of evidence suggesting the two of them were guilty, including footage from surveillance cameras, testimony, phone records and DNA traces. Both suspects were seen leaving the car on the evening of the crime. A little later they would have waited in a stairwell at the TV studio until de Vries passed, and then shot him.
Key witness against drug bosses: Why was Peter de Vries murdered?
Police stopped the suspect’s car on a motorway near The Hague less than an hour after the crime and arrested the two men. Four cartridge cases found at the crime scene are believed to have come from a gun found in the car. The investigators also discovered traces of G.’s DNA on the weapon. In addition, there is evidence that E. de Vries spied before the crime, according to the prosecutor.
De Vries had made a name for himself through his role in solving high-profile criminal cases and as a spokesman for victims. The reporter was most recently the confidante of the most important key witness in a trial against the alleged drug lord Ridouan Taghi. This is considered the most wanted criminal in the Netherlands, his organization is described by public prosecutors as a “well-oiled killing machine”. According to earlier information from de Vries, he was on Taghi’s “hit list”. (ska / AFP)
