Kevin L. (30) from Roosendaal abused his girlfriend Chantal (23) for so long and so severely that she eventually died from her injuries and fractures. The woman was pregnant with her second son at the time. Her five-year-old child saw all the abuse and lay at his mother’s feet when she died. Kevin was sitting in the coffee shop at the time and didn’t realize what he had done.
A gruesome story unfolded in the Breda court this Thursday, which is actually incomprehensible. Kevin L., who is of Angolan/Congolese descent, had been in a relationship with Chantal for years and they lived together in an apartment on Wilhelminastraat in Roosendaal.
It seemed like a happy family, but that changed after Kevin was jailed in 2022. According to him, Chantal saw all kinds of evil spirits and they also scared her son. As a faithful Christian, he wanted it to stop and started abusing her ‘out of powerlessness’.
The autopsy on her body showed that Chantal had suffered dozens of fractures and injuries over a longer period of time. And on the evening of July 26 last year, things went completely wrong. Kevin raged so much against Chantal that he was ‘out of breath’ from hitting and kicking his pregnant wife. His five-year-old son was a witness.
Then Kevin went to the coffee shop. He called Chantal, as he so often does, but after fifteen minutes the connection was lost. As the evening progressed he became a bit concerned and when he came home at two o’clock in the morning, he found Chantal dead, on her stomach. Her son lay at her feet and woke up with a start.
Kevin didn’t call the police, but one of his ‘free rangers’. He didn’t reveal anything to her. He was panicking, he told the judges, but did not call for help. “She already had flies on her face,” he said. “I knew she was dead.” It wasn’t until the next evening that Kevin reported to the police station with his son to say that his wife was dead
Family’s right to speak
Chantal’s family couldn’t get over it. The question is whether they will ever get over this, as became clear from their right to speak during the hearing. They called Kevin a monster that Chantal had isolated from them. They lived as a family in a neglected apartment, where rooms were full of dirt. Father, mother and son lay together on a mattress in the living room. The son did not go to school and did not see other children. Chantal earned money working from home for one call center to work. The family suggested that Kevin then spend money: for example in the coffee shop or to other friends.
Many tears were shed in the courtroom as all the details about the abuse were told. Especially when the family told from the son’s perspective how hard it hit the boy that dad had killed mom.
Statement on behalf of son
A statement was read out on the boy’s behalf as a photo of his mother was shown on the screens. “I have a lot of questions for you, daddy. Why did you hit us, were you angry? I’m still too little to be here, but I still have a lot of questions. Mom was very scared and you kept hitting. I remember that very well and I don’t understand why you continued. And why did you leave mom alone? I thought it was scary to see her dead and be alone with her. It’s a shame, but I’m also glad that I don’t see you anymore. I’m not really scared anymore, because you’re in a cell. I feel sad when I think of you.”
The other family members felt only hatred. “This monster should never be allowed to come out again and be given the opportunity to cause victims,” said Chantal’s father. “Just lock him up for life and isolate him, just like he isolated Chantal.”
Chantal’s mother and sister also addressed the court and Kevin.
The case continues Thursday afternoon. Then the public prosecutor makes the demand. Kevin’s lawyer will then speak.
You can read all the stories from Omroep Brabant about this here crime and delinquency.
Are you interested in court stories? Then subscribe to our podcast and don’t miss anything about crime and lawsuits in Brabant.
Waiting for privacy settings…