Dune murder: assize process has started
The accused has to answer for the murder of Milena Raycheva (26).
The lifeless body of a young woman was found on 17 August 2010 in the dunes of Zeebrugge. For years, the woman’s identity remained a mystery. A flyer campaign at the Polé Polé Beach festival and a call on Dutch television also yielded nothing. The breakthrough only came when the investigators were informed via Interpol of the report made by the victim’s mother. The Bulgarian Milena Raycheva was finally identified in February 2013 through DNA testing.
Her boyfriend Kenan B. was arrested on January 21, 2015 in his hometown of Rotterdam. The man of Turkish origin, however, claims that he last saw his girlfriend in Calais on August 1, 2010, when they were planning a trip to London. B. said he was standing in line when his girlfriend let us know via text message that she had left the car. According to the accused, the victim even got away with 7,000 euros. After paying a bail of 25,000 euros, Kenan B. was released in January 2017. (read more below the photo)
Convicted in another case
After his release, B. returned to Rotterdam, but in the meantime he came into contact with the courts again. Shortly after noon on 13 April 2019, a fire was set in his apartment on Hilledijk. His upstairs neighbor saw no way out because of the heat and the smoke and jumped out the window. For 27-year-old Robert Hendrix, all help came too late. A few weeks later, B. was arrested, but again he claimed to have absolutely nothing to do with the facts. On April 10, 2020, B. was finally sentenced to ten years in prison by the court of Rotterdam. The defense appealed that conviction, but the new trial is not scheduled until December. With a view to his assize trial, the accused was temporarily handed over at the end of August and imprisoned in the prison of Bruges.
B. will be questioned on Monday morning 17 October by chairman Willem De Pauw. Then the first of a total of 36 witnesses have their say. The verdict is expected on Thursday evening, October 20 at the earliest. The accused faces life in prison for murder.