The court in The Hague on Monday imposed 18 years in prison on 42-year-old Robertico “Tico” I. for shooting dead Jursley Cijntje (31) in a crowded café in Herenstraat in The Hague on July 11, 2015. Another victim was seriously injured. The Public Prosecution Service had demanded 20 years in prison. The suspect fled to Brazil where he was arrested a few years later for drug trafficking. He was extradited to the Netherlands in May last year.
17 gunshot wounds
On the night in question, officers in the area heard several shots around 4:30 am. At the scene they saw a man lying on the ground in front of a full cafe in Herenstraat with several gunshot wounds in his upper body. The victim, 31-year-old Jursley Cijntje, died at the scene. He had seventeen gunshot wounds. A few meters away from the deceased victim stood another man who had been seriously injured. He survived the incident.
Ruthless
Witness statements show that the victim was killed in cold blood. Cijntje was shot several times and even when he tried to get away and crawled towards the exit, the shooter continued to shoot at him. The gunman then said something to the victim in Papiamentu, stepped over him and walked away calmly and without looking back.
Wired conversation
Two witnesses stated that Robertico I. was the shooter. According to the court, this is supported by the statement of another witness who gave a description of the shooter that matches I’s description. In addition, there is a tapped conversation with the home telephone of Robertico I’s girlfriend in which it is said that he ‘ would have put people down.”
Manslaughter
The court rules, based on witness statements and other evidence, that I. was the shooter. Because the court cannot determine that I. had planned to kill the victim in advance, he is convicted of manslaughter, not murder. He was also convicted of attempted manslaughter of the victim who was injured.
Brazil
The court blames the suspect for not disclosing anything and not taking any responsibility because he fled to Brazil the day after the shooting and was only transferred to the Netherlands more than seven years after the victim’s death.
According to the court, it is ‘great luck’ that the other victim did not die and that there were no more victims in the café. Taking everything into account, the court finds an 18-year prison sentence appropriate and appropriate.
Damages
The court also orders the suspect to pay a total of more than 100,000 euros in compensation to the three surviving relatives of the victim. In addition, he must pay more than 15,000 euros in compensation to the second victim.
