Bill C. from Rosmalen has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murders of Willem van der Willigen (70) from Lieshout and Amsterdammer Benito van Ommeren (65). His girlfriend, Sharona de J., with whom he spent weeks murdering and robbing through the country like a kind of Bonnie and Clyde, received 22 years and 11 months for her part.
First, former construction worker Bill C. (52) killed the former CEO of Vlisco, Willem van der Willigen, in Lieshout in May 2021. Six weeks later he committed another murder, on Benito van Ommeren (65) in Amsterdam. Sharona de J. (34) helped with those murders, the court finds, and she took care of the victims’ money and belongings. In total, the two took almost a ton of loot, which they spent in expensive hotels.
The court finds that in both cases the two had enough time to think about their actions. Therefore, murder has been proven in both cases. The court called the murders an ‘ultimate disrespect’. Both victims were helpful people and provided shelter. In Lieshout they received another prostitution client and a dealer, while Van der Willigen lay dead in bed. They made his children believe he was still alive whatsapp with his phone. They also stole a lot from their victims.
The court did not agree with the justice’s demand to give Bill C. a life sentence. Although two murders have been proven, Bill has a clean criminal record and is not part of a criminal organization. He was also constantly under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Given his age, 52, a sentence of 30 years will also amount to life in prison.
Under each other’s spell
Bill and Sharona were a couple and were completely captivated by each other. Bill was divorced and moved on with transsexual prostitute Sharona, who was born Peter 34 years ago. He was dominant in the relationship, which often revolved around sex, drink and drugs. And she was submissive.
When the two were evicted from their rental house in Rosmalen due to prostitution and drug nuisance and had to move into a garage, Sharona moved in with her regular client, Willem van der Willigen. In return, the two then had sex and Sharona received free drugs.
Bill previously stated that he was devastated when Sharona left him and beat Van der Willigen to death with a hammer on an impulse. But the public prosecutor was convinced that there was a plan to kill Van der Willigen and plunder his accounts.
After the murder, the couple continued where they left off: The next day they withdrew from Van der Willigen’s account and Sharona transferred money to her own account.
Living with a corpse
The bizarre thing was that the two continued to live in Van der Willigen’s house. The two lived there for at least two weeks. Sharona also received customers there, while Van der Willigen’s body was still in his bed in another room.
After a few weeks they went to Amsterdam to sleep in expensive hotels with the stolen money. Meanwhile, Sharona managed Van der Willigen’s phone, making it appear as if he was still alive. For example, she rescheduled an appointment for a pedicure and managed to prevent one of the sons from coming.
On June 11, they fled their hotel because Van der Willigen’s body had been found. The police were hot on their heels, they knew. Bill and Sharona were allowed to stay with 65-year-old Benito van Ommeren in exchange for money, drugs and sex. But after a few days, on June 23, Van Ommeren had had enough of the couple.
Van Ommeren asked them to leave late at night and an argument broke out. Bill looked at Sharona, who nodded and then Bill pounced on the Surinamese man. After several blows, Bill pulled the belt from his pants and strangled the man.
‘Business Murder’
The murder was purely business-related, the prosecutor reasoned. Because the two knew that sooner or later they would be caught. By killing Van Ommeren they could live in his house for a few more days and have some money again.
On June 26, police raided the apartment and Bill and Sharona were arrested. Behind the sofa, officers were shocked to find the body of Benito van Ommeren.
This is how Brabant Bonnie and Clyde went killing through the country: