Five men are suspected of attempting to murder the now 31-year-old Maastricht man J.R. in January 2017 in a car shed in Heerlen.

In the process, the victim was hit three times in his legs; a fourth bullet was allegedly intended for his head, according to the prosecution, but resulted in a graze to his face. "In the process, his finger was shot off. He escaped death," said prosecutor David van Kuppeveld. It is possible that shots were fired more often, but because of the many junk and cars in the shed, no more bullets were searched for.

Two hundred thousand

What exactly took place on the evening of Jan. 11 at the Weggebekker in the Passart neighborhood will not become clear until the case is heard substantively. Van Kuppeveld quoted from one of the statements of those involved that a sum of two hundred thousand euros had disappeared.

Two of the five suspects appeared for a pro forma hearing at the Maastricht District Court Wednesday morning. Of the other three suspects, one man is at large and a fourth is serving another sentence.

Proof

The two from Maasmechelen, Y.K. and D.L., denied shooting at R. on Wednesday. They would have been outside at the shed, but not inside. Their attorneys Letty Schyns and Marijn Zuketto consider the evidence presented against their clients so meager that they requested that their pretrial detention be lifted. They also believe there are no other reasons why K. and L. should not be allowed to await their trial at liberty.

According to Schyns, in an intercepted conversation about her client, the victim allegedly stated, "That Turk is not the one who shot at me. He was there for the stuff. The others shot."

Release

Van Kuppeveld opposes release. "They were present at the crime scene. Thus the evidence minimum for pre-trial detention has been met." He also believes L. should be sent to the Pieter Baan Center for a psychological examination.

Justice and police brought the case to trial relatively late because of capacity problems. Next week, the case will continue with witness interviews. When the substantive hearing will take place is still unclear.

The defendant(s) in this case are assisted by: