court caseOn day one of the trial against the suspects in the murder of Peter R. de Vries, ‘right to remain silent’ was the key word. Not a single answer emerged from the nine men. On the first day of the hearing, it was therefore mainly explicit camera images from just before, during and just after the attack that told the story.
The inevitable images come when the first day of the hearing is almost over. The images that shocked the whole of the Netherlands on the day of the attack. Peter R. de Vries lies seriously injured and motionless on the street while two bystanders take care of him. The crime journalist was shot just before. The 13-second video will be shown on all screens in the hearing room and the press room on Tuesday. It is the moment when the relatives, including daughter Kelly and son Royce de Vries, turn their faces away and wait for everything to be over. The rest seem to hold their breath for a moment.
It is the first moment that emotion is palpable this Tuesday. Until then, the first day of the trial against the nine suspects in the murder of Peter R. de Vries was dragging on. But it’s the images that impress. Which also brings everyone face to face with the facts: this lawsuit revolves around a ruthless murder attempt that took the life of a beloved celebrity.
Nine men held responsible
On Tuesday, the trial against the nine men held responsible by the Public Prosecution Service (OM) for the murder of Peter R. de Vries on July 6, 2021 started in the extra-secure De Bunker court. They can be roughly divided into three groups. First of all, there are the two men who are considered ‘executors’ by the Public Prosecution Service: the shooter (Delano G). and the driver (Kamil E.). They received help from two Poles: an alleged murder broker (Krystian M.) directed them and an arranger (Konrad W.) provided the weapons, getaway car and telephone.
And then there is the group of Antillean men. Two of them (Erickson O. and Gerower M.) are said to have filmed Peter R. de Vries shortly after the attack. They had contact with three accomplices (Ludgardo S., Christopher W. and Divainy K.).
The trial kicked off on Tuesday with the suspects each denying their role in the case: “I was not guilty of the murder. I didn’t know who he was or if he was a famous person,” suspect Erickson O. read from a note. This immediately ended all openness of the nine men. “I don’t want to answer any questions” or “I invoke my right to remain silent” were the longest sentences that came out of suspects’ mouths from that moment on. As the trial progressed, most defendants shortened it to “right to remain silent” or just “silence.”
The judges built the case slowly, starting with the alleged preparations for the murder. Several suspects hung around the studio in the month before the attack on Peter R. de Vries RTL Boulevard. According to the investigation, this is evident from telephone data and camera images. The latter were also shown. Suspects sat on the terrace of the McDonalds that overlooks the entrance to the television studio or walked through the Lange Leidsedwarsstraat (read the reconstruction of this site here).
For example, on June 28, a week before the murder, Peter R. de Vries was followed by a man who looks very much like Kamil E. According to the Public Prosecution Service, this Pole would have driven the getaway car later on the day of the attack. On the camera images he was walking right behind De Vries. When the crime journalist walked into the parking garage, the man watched him. “Are you that man?” the judge asks him on Tuesday. Kamil E.: “No. I mean, right to remain silent.”
‘Preliminary exploration’
Furthermore, a group of Antillean suspects are said to have been in the city center of Amsterdam to ‘make a tour’. A preliminary investigation, the Public Prosecution Service suspects. “Right to remain silent,” responds Divainy K. The chairman of the court responds with a smile: “I had not asked a question yet. But I’ll make a note of it.” The determination not to answer anything makes me laugh every now and then.
At the same time, it also ensures that not a scrap of new information passes by. Nevertheless, it is the video images that impress. The Lange Leidsedwarsstraat and surrounding area were full of cameras: at McDonalds, a café around the corner, at the parking garage or a video doorbell from a resident in the street. The images make it clear that there was no escape for the suspects. No matter how much they remain silent during this trial.
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