45-year-old Hans O. was also acquitted on appeal of the murder of Ralf Meinema in 2017. At the end of November, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) demanded another 20 years in prison for the Emmen resident for murder in association. The victim’s relatives covered their faces in dismay.
The court thus reached the same judgment as the court in Assen in May 2022. There was too little convincing evidence, there were too many ‘open ends’ to reach a conviction, the court also ruled. “Despite all investigative efforts, too much has remained unclear. The court is in the dark as to what exactly happened that night,” the judge said. Despite the fact that this is a repetition of moves, the statement was a bombshell.
Only the Public Prosecution Service can ask the Supreme Court to look at this case again. A spokeswoman said that the verdict must first be studied. In that case, the Supreme Court only assesses whether the rules have been properly applied. There is no longer any discussion about the facts.
Meinema was found lifeless in the trunk of his car in March 2017. The car protruded halfway out of the water of the Stieltjeskanaal near Coevorden. The case has therefore become known as the ‘trunk murder’. The man from Klazienaveen had been violently killed. Brain damage was the cause of death. He was hit on the head several times with a heavy object. The man was mutilated.