Both parents and three children were injured in the house fire in the early morning of November 2, 2020 at the Zomerzon in the village of North Holland. The son died a few days later from his injuries.
According to the court, father Martijn den B. started the fire by emptying 15 liters of petrol in the hall of the house where the family was still sleeping. He then locked himself in the bathroom in hopes of suffocating in the smoke, but firefighters managed to free him. He was convicted by the court in Alkmaar for the murder of his son and the attempted murder of the other family members.
The man was also on trial for embezzlement of 2.4 million euros from his employer. Working as a financial controller, he transferred money from his boss to his own bank accounts and then spent it on online gambling, bitcoin, vacations and remodeling his house.