Liège resident Mario Z. (64) and Albanian Perparim S. (39) point to each other as the one who murdered Maastricht dealer Soufian Lahnstein in December 2013. Both stated this one after the other in court in Roermond.
It is the first time Z. has given substantive testimony about the murder case on the Riverbank along the Meuse River in Wyck. He says he did not kill Lahnstein. "If you didn't do anything and are held innocent and the relatives are wondering what happened, why are you only now declaring it?" prosecutor David van Kuppeveld wanted to know from Z. "On the advice of my lawyer," Z replied.
S. has previously stated he is not guilty of Lanhstein's death. He even claims to have come from Albania to the Netherlands specifically to testify. According to Van Kuppeveld, the two men are both guilty of Lahnstein's murder. He announces he will seek a prison sentence in the "double digits.
S. and Z. were on their way from Liège to Maastricht the evening of Dec. 1, 2013, along with two others, to buy drugs for their own use or to resell, at a small profit. In Maastricht, Z. and S. split from the two and arranged to meet with dealer Lahnstein. The latter came to pick up the two in his Volvo station wagon. On the way, an argument ensued over heroin and cocaine.
As to what happened then, statements vary. The next hard evidence is camera footage from the Oeverwal. It shows Lahnstein getting into an argument with a man in a black and white coat, who then shoots at the Maastricht man. The perpetrator runs away, Lahnstein stumbles after him, but does not get far. Against a façade of the Oeverwal he collapses.
Who is the man in the black and white coat in the camera footage, which was also shown on Opsporing Verzocht? Based on age, stature and Z.'s difficult leg, the most likely answer is that S. was. One of the fellow passengers stated to the police that he had lent the black and white coat to S..
But S. denies. Another witness also identified Mario Z. as the shooter. There are more statements that contradict each other. What is certain is that Z. had a Colt .45 in his home in Liege, which is believed to have been the murder weapon.
The oral arguments and the indictment scheduled for Friday have been moved to Sept. 10. Z.'s statement contains so many new details for Van Kuppeveld and S.'s lawyer Nico Meijering that they cannot respond to it the next morning. "Z. has kept quiet all this time on completely impossible grounds. He should have been allowed to declare much earlier. I do not wish S. to become the child of the bill as a result," Meijering said.
Z.'s lawyer Serge Weening did know his client's statement for some time. "I should have gone after the shooting to the station, back to Liege. But S. shouted 'come with me, because the police are coming'. How sorry I am that I got into that car. That was in a panic," Z. told the court.
After the murder, the two picked up their earlier fellow passengers and drove together, in Lahnstein's Volvo, back to Liege. Near the house of one of the co-passengers, the Volvo caught fire.
