The two men behind the murder of lawyer Derk Wiersum were again sentenced to thirty years in prison on appeal. A life sentence had been demanded against them by the Public Prosecution Service.
In October 2021, Giërmo B. and Moreno B. were sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of the lawyer. The Public Prosecution Service, which had also demanded life imprisonment at the time, appealed against that verdict. The lawyers of the convicts also appealed against the 30-year prison sentence.
The court considers it proven that the murder was prepared “thoroughly and professionally” by the men, with explorations of the area and observing the lawyer. The driver and gunman used stolen cars and special phones to confer with each other leading up to the fatal day.
Lots of impact
Wiersum, 44, was shot dead in front of his home in Amsterdam on September 18, 2019. As a lawyer, he was involved in the major Marengo liquidation case, in which he represented key witness Nabil B. The Marengo trial revolves around murders and attempted murders for which seventeen suspects are on trial.
The violent death of Wiersum, who was known as an honest lawyer, had a lot of impact. Dozens of people had to be protected after the murder and some lawyers wondered whether it was still responsible to assist a key witness like Nabil B. A year before Wiersum’s murder, the brother of the key witness had also been murdered.
The court states that the file does not show any connection between the two murders.
- Lawyers: crown witness Nabil B. must be released earlier due to OM blunders
- A year after the murder of Peter R. de Vries, the case is still in full swing
