Dutch prosecutors have arrested a 27-year-old Pole suspected of organizing the murder of Peter R. de Vries, a well-known crime journalist, almost a year after he was shot in the street on an Amsterdam street.
Key points:
- Peter R. de Vries was an influential journalist known for his stubborn reports on the Amsterdam underworld
- Few details have been given about the 27-year-old suspect accused of ordering the attack
- The two men accused of having committed the murder face life imprisonment for the crime
The man, whose identity has not been revealed, is suspected of “directing those who committed the murder of De Vries,” prosecutors said in a statement. They gave no further details, however, noting that their investigation into who ordered the attack and why it continues.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have asked for life imprisonment for two other men accused of De Vries’ murder: a 21-year-old Dutchman identified only as Delano G., and a Polish national, Kamil E. Judges plan to pronounce their verdicts in his judgment.
De Vries was shot a short distance down a street in central Amsterdam on July 6 last year. The campaign journalist and television personality died nine days after his injuries at the age of 64, causing a great outpouring of mourning that saw thousands of people line up to pay their last respects to an Amsterdam theater. .
The murder of the journalist provoked a national outcry to repress the violent criminal world of Amsterdam. (Reuters: Eva Plevier)
Prosecutors say the two suspects were arrested less than an hour after the shooting in a runaway car on a road near The Hague along with the weapon used to shoot De Vries.
There was also a mobile phone in the car, which according to the prosecution contained messages alluding to the murder.
An exchange included two photos of De Vries and the message, “You have to get this dog.”
Another message later said, “He’s dead … everyone is screaming. He didn’t move anymore.”
“They pressed the trigger”
The murder of Mr. de Vries provoked a national outpouring of mourning and the government’s promises to repress the increasingly violent underworld of Amsterdam’s drugs.
In a final statement at the trial of the accused killers, prosecutors cited the “extremely serious” nature of the crime, the lack of remorse of the suspects and a series of previous underworld murders as grounds for demanding life imprisonment.
Mr. De Vries’ son, Royce, and daughter Kelly used the victim’s impact statements to emotionally recall his journalistic career and how he managed to combine his work with his family.
“I can still treat you humanely,” Kelly de Vries told the suspects. “Why? Because that’s how I grew up. Raised by two wonderful parents who stood up for what was right. While it wasn’t an easy path; they dared to stand up for people who had been abused.”
He called Mr. De Vries “My dear father, my friend, confidant and affectionate grandfather to my son.”
Royce de Vries told the judges, “I am convinced that if these suspects had asked my father for help that night, he would have given it,” a Dutch network reported. “Instead, they pulled the trigger.”
Lawyers for the suspects are scheduled to speak at a separate hearing next week, with judges due to give verdicts later this month.
AP