Suspect in Dean murder case will hear whether he will be tried in Belgium

The 34-year-old Dave De K., who is suspected of involvement in the kidnapping and death of the 4-year-old boy Dean, will hear on Tuesday whether he will be handed over to Belgium. The International Legal Aid Chamber (IRK) of the court in Amsterdam will announce the decision around noon.

The investigating judge in Dendermonde has requested the Netherlands to surrender De K, so that he can be tried in Belgium. Justice in Belgium wants to prosecute De K. for murder or manslaughter and child kidnapping. The K. denies the allegations.

Dean’s body was found on Monday evening, January 17, at Neeltje Jans near Vrouwenpolder in Zeeland. Earlier that day, De K. was arrested, the Belgian had taken the boy from the Belgian town of Sint-Niklaas. The man was arrested in the village of Meerkerk in the province of Utrecht. His 25-year-old Dutch girlfriend Romy W. is detained in Belgium.

De K. wants to stay in the Netherlands for his trial. According to counsel for De K, the conditions in the prison in the Belgian city of Dendermonde are substandard and in particular the access to health care for detainees. De K. has already requested a psychiatrist and a psychologist in the prison of Middelburg and fears that his mental state is deteriorating in Belgium.