Father Hub L. and daughter Rachelle L. were acquitted by the Maastricht court of involvement in the murder of Mohamed Al Jader and Alan Gergeri, due to lack of evidence. The mother and youngest son of the L. family were sentenced to 15 and 13 years in prison.
Another son and a family friend were convicted of disposing of the two victims' remains: 26 months and 30 months in prison.
Sexual abuse?
Alan Gergeri's murder was committed in 2009. According to the court, the youngest son stabbed the victim with a knife and then struck him several more times with a pickaxe. By his own admission, he had been sexually abused by the victim for years.
Impaired accountability
An appeal by the defense to psychological superiority for this reason was rejected by the court. In determining the level of punishment in favor of the defendant, the court took into account the fact that he was just 18 years old when he committed the offense and that he must be considered diminished culpability.
Pistol
The murder of Iraqi-born Mohamed al Jader took place in 2011. Then the mother killed the victim with a gun. The victim was the partner of one of her daughters. The mother did not agree with how the victim treated her daughter (and granddaughter). In addition, the victim allegedly threatened the mother's husband.
Hydrochloric acid
After committing the murder in 2009, the other son and the family friend put the remains in a freezer case and took it away. Then the body was put in a barrel and dissolved in hydrochloric acid. The remains were flushed down the drain. After committing the murder in 2011, they also dissolved this corpse in a barrel of hydrochloric acid and flushed it down the drain. No tangible remains were recovered from either body.
Question marks
The court acquitted the father and youngest daughter of the family. However, there are witnesses who state that they too were both involved in one or more of the above facts. However, the court questions these incriminating witness statements so much that it only wants to use them as evidence if there is sufficient corroborating evidence for this. This is not the case. Therefore, there is insufficient evidence to reach a conviction.
No reopening
The prosecutor, the day before the verdict, suggested to the court that all cases be reopened. The reason is that the youngest daughter of the family has been a fugitive for a long time. A week after the conclusion of the investigation at the hearing, she was picked up by the police. However, the court sees no reason in this to reopen the cases.
After her arrest, the youngest daughter was questioned by the police. She stated nothing pertinent. There is therefore no new information. Furthermore, no new facts or circumstances have become plausible either, showing that the investigation at the hearing was incomplete.
