Nearly three years after the murder of Peter R. de Vries, the court has sentenced the main suspects to prison terms of up to 28 years. Despite the Public Prosecution Service (OM) seeking life sentences for the primary defendants, the court opted for lengthy but not life-long sentences. Nine individuals stood trial, including the shooter, those who filmed the attack, and the so-called ‘murder broker.’ Three suspects were fully acquitted of involvement in the murder.

The OM had requested life sentences for shooter Delano G., his driver Kamil E., and ‘murder broker’ Krystian M. However, the court deemed these sentences too severe, as this was a singular murder and the main suspects had no prior convictions for similar crimes. The court stated the need for punishment to be a deterrent, but not necessarily justifying a life sentence unless absolutely necessary.

The court also found no evidence of a terrorist motive behind the murder, ruling out the possibility that the murder was intended to instill widespread fear among the Dutch public. The verdict indicated that there was insufficient proof of the defendants being part of a structured criminal organization that could be linked to notorious crime boss Ridouan Taghi.

Crime reporter Peter R. de Vries was shot on July 6, 2021, in Amsterdam and died nine days later at the age of 64. Shooter Delano G. and driver Kamil E. were arrested within an hour of the shooting and have been in custody since then. The court found G., E., and M. guilty of premeditated murder.

The OM’s demand for life sentences for the main suspects was not met. However, the cumulative prison terms amounted to nearly 120 years. The delayed trial, initially set for a verdict in 2022, faced setbacks due to new evidence and the emigration of a judge. Throughout the trial, the defendants remained mostly silent, except for an apology from the ‘murder broker.’

Here are the sentences imposed by the court compared to the OM’s demands:

– Delano G. (24), shooter: 28 years (OM demanded life)

– Kamil E. (36), driver: 28 years (OM demanded life)

– Krystian M. (27), ‘murder broker’: 26 years and 1 month (OM demanded life)

– Gerower M. (26), filmer: 10 years (OM demanded 21 years)

– Erickson O. (28), filmer: 10 years (OM demanded 21 years)

– Christopher W. (27), contact: acquitted (OM demanded 3 years)

– Konrad W. (30), logistics: 14 years (OM demanded 17 years)

– Ludgardo S. (34), scout: acquitted except for 4 weeks for drug possession (OM demanded 14 years)

– Divainy K. (29), car provider: acquitted (OM demanded 8 years and 4 months)