AMSTERDAM: The children of the best-known Dutch crime reporter confronted his alleged killers in court as their trial started on Tuesday and accused the two men of gunning down their "hero" father from behind.
Journalist Peter R de Vries, 64, was shot in the head outside a television studio in Amsterdam in July 2021 in a crime that prosecutors say was linked to his role in the trial of a Dutch drugs mafia kingpin. Dutch man Delano G, 22, is accused of fatally shooting de Vries, while Polish national Kamil E, 36, allegedly drove their getaway car and carried out surveillance prior to the shooting.
"I am looking at you, like you didn't dare to look at my father when you shot him down from behind'', the journalist's daughter Kelly said to Delano G at Amsterdam District Court.
"Why did you shoot him? For money? Because you didn't agree with him?" The suspect looked back across the room without showing any emotion.
The murder of de Vries in broad daylight stunned the Netherlands, where he was a household name with his own TV show, and sparked outrage across Europe. A verdict is due on July 14. The pair face possible life sentences for murder, with prosecutors set to make their sentencing demands later on Tuesday.
Kelly de Vries told the accused that "I hate you" but that she could "bring myself to treat you with humanity."
"Your children will realise what their fathers have done — at least I can be proud of mine. People will say that he was a hero'', she said.
De Vries' son Royce separately told the suspects "had you asked my father for help, instead of pulling the trigger, he would have done so."
The journalist's daughter had earlier asked to leave the room, as the court saw closed-circuit television footage of the murder.
Images from various vantage points in the city, including a nearby cafe, appeared to show Delano G and Kamil E walking around the area shortly before de Vries was shot. — AFP
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