People in Winsum are devastated by the death of 17-year-old Jet, who was stabbed to death by her 19-year-old ex on Wednesday evening. “This is terrible.”
Many tears were shed at the Weidelust riding school, just outside Winsum, on Thursday morning. Young girls mourn the loss of their riding friend. Jet had been riding horses here for years. First on a lease pony, now on a horse. “Unbelievable, we are defeated,” says riding school owner Jelly Pestman. “We have to see how we get through this. Jet was supposed to have class on Friday, we’re making it a commemoration.”
There will also be a place at the horse farm where the girls can commemorate Jet. A mother takes care of her crying daughter, Thursday at Weidelust. “My child is completely devastated.”
‘There is a resigned atmosphere in Winsum’
On Wednesday evening, things went completely wrong near Jet’s house on AS de Blécourtlaan when a 19-year-old man from the municipality of Het Hogeland attacked the underage girl. People in the village say it’s about her ex-boyfriend, who couldn’t accept the fact that she wanted to break up with her. He was arrested after the stabbing. The police are calling on witnesses to come forward.
A man lays flowers at the tree where emergency services fought for Jet’s life late Wednesday evening. “I knew the girl’s parents and wanted to do something. A flower is the least.” The impact of Jet’s murder is felt in Winsum, he says. “There is a resigned atmosphere. The youth in the village are completely freaked out by this. My son couldn’t sleep.”
Later, more parents and their children lay flowers at the tree. They don’t stay dry either.
‘Closed due to tragic circumstances’
A little further away, a neighbor saw a white bicycle lying on the path next to the playground on Wednesday evening. She did not experience the drama, but then saw how the street was cordoned off with police tape. “This is terrible,” she says. “My daughter is the same age as Jet. They were in class together at primary school.”
The victim’s parents are well-known entrepreneurs in Winsum. They run the pet shop in the village. There is a note on the door there on Thursday: ‘Closed due to tragic family circumstances.’
A local resident walked his dog Jack on Thursday morning. The four-legged friend found a knife in the grass of the playing field. It was a large kitchen knife, the owner says. “I immediately went back home and contacted the police.” The field was cordoned off again shortly afterwards with red-white tape. Around noon, a police drone team also arrived to take recordings.