Life sentences are not often imposed in Brabant. The last time was for Onur K. (36) from Etten-Leur, who was sentenced to life in prison last summer for the murder of his son and daughter, his wife and his mother in 2020. This century, a life sentence has only been imposed in five Brabant cases. On Tuesday, Bill C. (52) from Rosmalen will hear whether he will also receive that punishment for double murder.
Bill C. confessed in the court in Den Bosch that he killed Willem van der Willigen (70) from Lieshout and Benito van Ommeren (65) from Amsterdam.
He beat the former CEO of Vlisco to death with a hammer in the bedroom of his villa in Lieshout. He strangled Van Ommeren with his own belt. The public prosecutor demanded a life sentence at the end of September. He believes that both men were deliberately murdered by Bill C.
Sharona
According to him, Bill C. was so angry that his transsexual girlfriend Sharona de J. had moved in with Van der Willigen that he went to Lieshout to get her back. C. is said to have texted his girlfriend to find out whether the man was asleep. He is also said to have waited for half an hour near the villa before breaking in and beating the old man to death with a hammer within minutes.
Benito van Ommeren was murdered six weeks later, when Bill and Sharona were on the run from the police. The 65-year-old man offered them shelter in exchange for sex and drugs, but when he wanted to throw the two out on the street, Bill struck again.
According to the judiciary, the two did not want to be caught and had to kill Van Ommeren to stay out of the hands of the police for a little longer. According to the justice department, a nod from Sharona to Bill meant approval to get rid of Van Ommeren. Bill C. jumped on the man and strangled him with his waistband.
But, is waiting in front of the villa in Lieshout and texting whether Van der Willigen was already asleep enough to prove intent? Or did things go wrong for Bill C., who used an unprecedented amount of alcohol and drugs and had a lot of heartbreak? And is Sharona’s nod enough to prove murder in Van Ommeren’s case too?
Imprisoned for life or ‘just’ for a long time
Only if both questions are answered yes by the court, Bill C. will receive a life sentence. If Bill C. has convinced the judges that he committed the murders on a whim, he will receive a long prison sentence, but not life in prison.
Bill C. is almost 53, and a sentence of 25 or 30 years will also mean almost life in prison for him. He has been in custody since June 2021 and will therefore already be 75 or 80 when he is released.
His great love Sharona, with whom he had a stormy relationship full of drink and drugs, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in the same case for complicity in murder. She did not kill the men, but she did help, according to the justice department. She was mainly concerned with plundering the victims’ accounts.
The verdict will be delivered on Tuesday afternoon at one o’clock in the court in Den Bosch.
OTHER STORIES ABOUT BILL C.
Bill thinks life imprisonment is far too high a sentence. He did not sleep a wink after that demand, he told the judges.
Bill and Sharona did not care about the dead and continued to live happily on their money.