Alexander D guilty of four murders and torture
The defense had asked for Verstraete’s acquittal for torture, but the jury did not agree.
On Tuesday evening, July 25, 2017, the accused went to the home of Maïlys Descamps (18) in Moere, a borough of Gistel. There he killed his ex-girlfriend with a stab in the chest. Her grandparents Gery Cappon (68) and Marie-José Vanleene (64) were also stabbed to death. Police were called to a hostage situation by a neighbor, but the accused had just fled.
It was not until the eve of July 26 that Alexander D was caught by chance. The bodybuilder was recognized by a security guard in a supermarket in the center of Ostend. Meanwhile, the investigators had made a connection with a murder on the night of 24 to 25 July in Sint-Amandsberg. After all, Jeroen Verstraete was killed with a stab in the heart, just like Maïlys. In addition, it turned out that in 2015 the girl had posed several times for the hobby photographer. She would have told the accused that she was raped during those spicy photo shoots.
A few days after his arrest, Alexander D made full confessions. His lawyer Brecht Horsten pleaded unsuccessfully on Wednesday afternoon that he did not act with premeditation when killing Maïlys’ grandparents. The sentencing debates will be held on Thursday. Alexander D faces life imprisonment.
