The Public Prosecution Service has demanded a life sentence against two suspects in the assassination attempt on Peter R. de Vries. It concerns 22-year-old Delano G. from Tiel and 36-year-old Pole Kamil E. According to the Public Prosecution Service, it has been proven that Delano G. fired the later fatal shots in the Lange Leidsedwarsstraat in Amterdam on July 6, 2021. The Pole Kamil E. according to the justice system, has made a preliminary reconnaissance and instructed Delano on the day of the attack about the situation around the RTL Boulevard studio where Peter de Vries was present that evening. Both suspects have therefore worked closely and consciously and, in the view of the Public Prosecution Service, they are jointly responsible for the murder of De Vries, which was committed with premeditation.
Also read: Kelly de Vries: ‘Delano. I want you to look at me like you didn’t dare to look at my father’
According to the Public Prosecution Service, a life sentence for a suspect of 22 years is a very far-reaching requirement. “That is why the Public Prosecution Service has thought about this for a long time. However, in view of the aggravating circumstances, the Public Prosecution Service believes that the sentence should still be imposed. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the major social impact of the murder of De Vries plays a role in this. This is not only a murder of a father, partner and a loved one, but according to the Public Prosecution Service also an attack on the rule of law because of the role of De Vries as confidential counselor of crown witness Nabil B. De Vries is therefore the third person from the circle of the crown witness. who was murdered.”
“That leads to great fear and unrest. And requires showing that we will always protect the rule of law. Previous custodial sentences in these cases have not led to a change. A pure and crystal clear signal must be given. It is up to here and no further for the Public Prosecution Service. These crimes must never pay and such fear mongering must not go unpunished. The perpetrators have forfeited their right to freedom.”
“Cowardly” act
The Public Prosecution Service qualifies the murder of Peter R. de Vries as a “cowardly” act and has therefore had to stop its fight against injustice. That is not only a great loss for the relatives, according to the Public Prosecution Service: “The country is crying.” According to the OM, the murder of De Vries fits into a list of victims from the circle of crown witness Nabil B. in the Marengo trial against Ridouan Taghi. Earlier, Nabil B.’s brother and his lawyer were murdered. According to the Public Prosecution Service, there is no evidence that the murder of De Vries with his role as a confidential adviser to Nabil B. But it does seem like it. This makes the murder of De Vries part of one of the darkest periods in the history of the Dutch constitutional state. “Because let’s be honest: how likely is it that this murder has nothing to do with his role as advisor to the key witness.”
Evidence for the involvement in the murder of De Vries is overwhelming, according to the Public Prosecution Service. For example, a bullet was found in De Vries’ head during the autopsy. According to the NFI, he was almost certainly shot with a weapon that was found in the car with which the two suspects fled from Amsterdam after the shooting. According to the NFI, DNA traces have been found on the cartridge holder of that weapon that match the DNA of the two suspects. A telephone with messages from the day of the murder was also found in that car. For example, a photo of Peter R. de Vries was found with the text “this is what he looks like”. A number of messages, partly in Dutch and partly in Polish, correspond to images of the two suspects around the crime scene before the attack.
Leidsedwarsstraat
For example, in Polish it is stated that he “shows him everything.” Camera images show how the two suspects walk through the Lange Leidsedwarsstraat. When they walk there, the duo looks emphatically at the exit of the RTL Boulevard studio and the entrance to the parking garage where Peter R. de Vries parked his car. Kamil E. has acknowledged that he walked there with his co-defendant on the day of the attack, but he denies that he used the telephone used to send messages before and after the attack. Delano G. invoked his right to remain silent throughout the proceedings. DNA traces of Delano G. were also found on the phone.
The lawyers of the suspects will respond next week to the sentence from the Public Prosecution Service and the evidence in the criminal file. According to the schedule, the court will make a decision on 14 July 2022. The family’s lawyer has thanked the investigative team, the Public Prosecution Service and the court for the energetic investigation into the murder of Peter R. de Vries.