The defense of Gradus T., the main suspect in the murder in the Dutch town of Chaam of a woman from Turnhout, has asked for the acquittal. This came after earlier in the day the prosecutor asked for a 24-year prison sentence. The defense of the female co-accused, José v.E., also asked for the acquittal, but the prosecution did so earlier. The verdict will take place in two weeks.
Cuts
Marita Schoenmaekers of Turnhout died in a cornfield in Chaam on the night of Aug. 25-26, 2006. She died from four cuts in the neck. Shortly after the facts, Gradus T. was arrested. The man was a bartender at a café in Turnhout, where the woman was last seen.
During the investigation, the man changed his statements several times. Last week, he did so one last time during the first part of the trial. According to the prosecutor, changing those statements was already an indication of guilt.
"Cowardly act"
"There are also the confessions in Turnhout, the knife, the traces of the suspect's footwear in the cornfield, the existence of 'John' that cannot be proven, the suspect's cell phone traffic, and the fact that T., during a reconstruction, precisely
did what had happened." According to the Breda Public Prosecutor's Office, it is therefore clear that T. committed the murder with premeditation. "He had time to think about it, because he first left her in the cornfield before returning with a knife. It was a cowardly and brutal act. My requirement is 24 years." For the female co-defendant, the prosecution found no evidence and despite the fact that she was in pretrial detention for a year, the acquittal was still ordered.
"No evidence."
T.'s defense lawyer also asked for the acquittal. "All that really remains are the traces of the shoes in the field and that is not evidence of the murder," said Master Serge Weening. "He confessed in Belgium on the advice of his lawyer, nothing more." The verdict will be announced June 2.
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