Murder trial of crime reporter in Netherlands to start over

The trial for the murder of Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries must start anew due to procedural reasons, according to a ruling from a criminal court in Amsterdam on Thursday.

Merely days before judges were scheduled to deliver verdicts in July, prosecutors took to filing new evidence against the  murder suspects — an unusual step that reopened the case and forced the cancellation of the verdicts.

As one of the three judges who assessed the evidence of the case is moving out of the Netherlands, a replacement judge has to be appointed, which means the trial has to be restarted.

The decision means a long delay in the case against two key suspects, 21-year-old Dutchman Delano G. and his alleged accomplice, Kamil E.

What happened to de Vries?

A prominent TV reporter, de Vries was shot in the middle of a street in Amsterdam last year. He later succumbed to his injuries.

The murder shocked the country.

The suspected shooter and his alleged getaway driver, 35, were quickly arrested by police after the shooting. They were apprehended on a highway near The Hague with the weapon used to shoot de Vries in the car.

The Dutchman, Delano G., is accused of shooting de Vries at close range. A Polish citizen identified as Kamil E is suspected of having driven the vehicle that was used. He denied a murder charge.

During the trial, the prosecution demanded life imprisonment for both defendants. 

Organized crime could be involved

Several additional suspects have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the shooting.

There are indications that the drug gang around the notorious criminal Ridouan Taghi could behind the murder. 

The reporter was the confidant of a key witness who testified in an extensive criminal trial against Taghi and 16 accomplices. Prior to de Vries' death, the brother and the defense lawyer of the witness had been murdered.

los/sms (dpa, AP)