It has not become clear why Tilburg rapper Boechi (30) was shot dead in Curacao last December. The rumors that it was about drugs or about his expensive necklace were not confirmed during the trial in the courthouse in Willemstad.
“But whatever the reason, others are suffering because of the decisions you have made,” Boechi’s widow Niandy Windster-Losiabaar said in court. “There are now six children who have to grow up without a father because of this cold-blooded liquidation.”
The two suspects Churendi C. (44) and Chris Z. (24) heard in court on Friday demanding prison sentences of 19 and 22 years. The file that the Curaçao judiciary produced in this criminal case is almost two thousand pages thick.
Followed for an hour
According to the Public Prosecution Service in Willemstad, there is sufficient evidence that the duo murdered Boechi. A compilation of camera footage showed how the rapper and his friends spent his last evening. But more importantly, how a white car followed Boechi and his friends for more than an hour on December 8, 2022. Until the moment shots were fired from that car.
Just as in June, during the pre-trial hearing, Churendi C. stated that his co-suspect pulled the trigger. He was merely driving the car, he stated. “This gives the impression that you were an unwilling tool of the much younger Chris (24),” the judge said. Churendi replied: “I was tired and drunk after 24 bottles of Heineken. Plus I was sitting next to an armed man. That’s dangerous.”
The much younger shooter (24) kept shaking his head at the statements of driver Churendi C. “I am not a saint, but I did not kill anyone. I was not in the car, but was sick in bed at home,” was his alibi.
Murder
But according to the public prosecutor, Chris Z. was indeed at the scene of the shooting. Churendi C.’s statement and the cell tower data from his telephone prove this. “There is nothing to indicate that the shooting resulted from a sudden outburst of anger or a sudden violent temper. The suspects planned this and are therefore guilty of murder.”
The Public Prosecution Service demanded a slightly lower sentence (19 years) for ‘first offender’ Churendi C. He has not previously been in contact with the police and the judiciary in Curaçao. In the Netherlands, he served a 12-month prison sentence for cocaine smuggling in 2020.
No empathy
Chris Z. is a repeat offender, it turned out. That is why the sentence is higher at 22 years. In November 2018, he was convicted of attempted manslaughter and possession of a firearm. And within a period of five years, according to the Public Prosecution Service, he was guilty of another criminal offense. What also counted in the amount of the demand was that both men showed no empathy whatsoever towards the surviving relatives.
If it were up to Boechi’s mother, the court would give the two suspects a life sentence. She attended the hearing from Tilburg via video connection. The father, brother and sister of the rapper who was shot also followed the substantive treatment from the Victim Support office.
Since the murder they have gone downhill mentally. The entire family is under the care of a psychologist. “My husband has a stomach ache because of the stress.” In tears, Boechi’s mother spoke directly to the suspects: “I console myself with the thought that where Boechi is now is better than where you are. Your lives will be bitter.”
After this comment, the judge intervened. “You are not supposed to address the suspects, although I understand the emotion.”
No time to mourn
Widow Niandy also spoke about the suffering that was caused to her and the four children she has with Boechi. The family is temporarily staying in Curaçao. “We hoped that a different environment would be good for the children to process the situation.”
She herself has not had time to mourn. As a single mother, she has to be strong for her children. The images of Boechi lying lifeless on the ground have left their mark. Especially with the eldest son. To ease the loss, the children go to bed every night with a photo of their father. “He is now a shining star in the sky.”
The judge will make a ruling on November 17.
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