Will 45-year-old Hans O. from Emmen still go to jail for the murder of Ralf Meinema from Klazienaveen in 2017? Or is the court in Leeuwarden like-minded with the court in Assen and will it again result in an acquittal. Today, an appeal will be handed down in this remarkable murder case.
At the end of November, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) demanded 20 years in prison for Hans O for murder in association. The Advocate General (AG), the public prosecutor on appeal, said he assumed that O. could not have committed the murder alone done. The Public Prosecution Service has never been able to prove who the helpers were.
Meinema was found lifeless in the trunk of his car in March 2017. The car was half dangling in the water of the Stieltjeskanaal near Coevorden. The case has therefore become known as the ‘trunk murder’. O. was acquitted by the Assen court in May 2022 due to insufficient evidence. The Public Prosecution Service believes that the court in Assen incorrectly assessed the evidence and appealed against this decision.
The Klazienavener was killed by extreme violence. Brain damage is the cause of death. He was hit on the head more than seven times with a heavy object. The man looked mutilated. O. was first arrested in 2018 for complicity in the murder. After him, his nephew Harm O. and an acquaintance of Meinema, Kenny B., were also arrested as suspects. They are said to have helped Hans O. in the murder of Meinema.
In June 2022, the Public Prosecution Service decided to no longer prosecute Harm O. and Kenny B. for possible involvement in this murder. Too little evidence had been gathered for this. Hans O. was also released, but was arrested again in October 2020. According to the Public Prosecution Service, there were more indications that he may have had a role in the murder.
Hans O. was mostly silent. Also about the fact that he had been in contact with Meinema the evening before the body was found. The investigation showed that O. was the only one who had contact with the victim the evening before the murder. When the man was confronted with the camera footage of the purchase of a prepaid telephone, he slowly gave in. He was allegedly approached by Meinema for a drug deal.
The Public Prosecution Service does not believe this. According to the AG, the contact came from O. This is evident from various telephone records. O. gives varying explanations about this information. According to the Public Prosecution Service, O. may have been the last person to see Meinema alive. The Public Prosecution Service assumes that O. deliberately used a prepaid telephone, so that this contact could no longer be traced afterwards. It is not without reason that O. got rid of this device after the murder, said the AG in Leeuwarden.
The Public Prosecution Service assumes that O.’s drug deal story is a fabricated story. According to the Public Prosecution Service, it seems more likely that Meinema was lured to Emmen. In addition, an anonymous witness stated that he heard O. say that he had beaten the victim to death. A DNA trace of O. was found in Meinema’s trouser pocket. According to O.’s lawyer, the men shook hands during the meeting. O.’s DNA may therefore have ended up in the victim’s pocket.
More DNA research was carried out on appeal. Traces of blood were found on the victim’s trouser leg near the ankle and upper leg. The trace near the ankle is a mixed DNA trace of cell material from O., from an unknown person, and the blood trace of the victim. In addition, a major DNA relationship study was also carried out to trace the unknown perpetrator through family members. This did not lead to a match and the person remained unknown.
The Public Prosecution Service finds it likely that O. lifted Meinema’s body with the unknown person when he was dying, or perhaps already deceased, the AG said.
Meinema’s life was robbed in a cowardly and merciless manner, the AG believes. An attempt was made to make the car disappear. That failed, the car got stuck in the wall. It has never become clear why Meinema was lured to Emmen and then murdered. “It is beyond imagination how Ralf experienced the last moments of his life,” the AG said at the hearing.
At the time, the family claimed compensation of 68,000 euros from the court in Assen. This was annulled by the acquittal. The Public Prosecution Service believes that O. must still pay this compensation if convicted.