MAASTRICHT -The trial of the "murder family" from Sittard suspected of killing two Iraqis started today. The prosecution suspects that the suspects murdered two men and dissolved their bodies in hydrochloric acid. This emerged Monday during a pro forma hearing before the court in Maastricht.
The prosecutor described the case as a "godawful criminal case in which terrible things have happened. According to the prosecutor, the L. family murdered 24-year-old Alan Gergeri in Tudderen, Germany, in the summer of 2009 and 29-year-old Mouhammed Al Jader in August. Gergeri was allegedly killed with a knife and pickaxe, Al Jader was allegedly riddled with dozens of bullets. Both bodies were allegedly dissolved in a barrel of hydrochloric acid, according to the prosecution. The barrel was stirred daily to speed up the process of dissolution. The liquid remains of the two men were allegedly distributed among small buckets and washed away.
The L. family consists of father Hub, mother Els, sons Michel and Maurice, and daughter Rachelle. Father and daughter are fugitives; the other family members are in custody. Ron van K., a family friend, allegedly helped make Al Jader's corpse disappear.
Al Jader allegedly continuously demanded money from the L. family because he knew about criminal activities of the family. Asylum seeker Gergeri allegedly raped Maurice, the youngest son of the L. family.
The prosecution expects that the substantive hearing of the criminal case cannot take place until the course of next year, because much investigation is still needed. Moreover, two main suspects are fugitives. According to the prosecution, serious death threats were made against the suspects and substantial sums were allegedly offered to kill them
