The three suspects Jurandy T., Xionel B. and Sergio K. are not responsible for the murder of Sven Prins from Brunssum and the attempted murder of his co-driver. This was argued by their lawyers in the Maastricht District Court on Thursday.
The defense accuses the prosecution of "tunnel vision" and "target reasoning," among other things. Just last Friday, the Justice Department demanded 25 years in prison for the trio.
Prins was shot dead on the border of Brunssum and Heerlen in September 2015. It was the fatal end of a wild car chase. The man with whom Prins was in the car was able to escape. To an undercover agent, T. allegedly later told about the liquidation.
Bluff
According to his counsel Serge Weening, however, his client's story was pure bluff. "The infiltrator pretended to be a big criminal who came to Limburg. He asked the boys if they were interested in chores. This immediately created a hierarchical relationship. He presented himself as the leader and the boys were sort of errand boys for him with interesting future prospects. Then came a "marketing campaign" full of bluster and grandstanding. T. confessed to murders that were never committed."
Chicken coop
Bart Nijsten, attorney for Xionel B., concurs. "There was talk of a henhouse with three roosters. They were each building their own legend. T. allegedly shot past my client's head with an automatic weapon. If that is true, he would have been deaf by now." Moreover, according to Nijsten, B. was at home at the time of the murder, something his partner would confirm.
Report infiltrator
Sergio K. is also said to have been at home during the liquidation because he had to babysit, according to his counsel Luc Bien. The lawyer further questions the failure to further investigate tips from Belgium and the infiltrator's reporting. He points to omissions and errors in the reports. "The undercover missed crucial info. If a witness or expert has not proved infallible during a trial, his testimony should not be decisive."
Judgment is on Jan. 23.
