Two men have been found guilty of murdering a Dutch lawyer who, at the time of his death, was involved in a high-profile criminal case against suspected gangland bosses. The killers were both given 30 years in prison.
On Monday, Amsterdam District Court convicted the two men, identified by media only as Giermo B. and Moreno B. They were both sentenced to serve 30 years behind bars for the murder of Derk Wiersum outside his Amsterdam home in September 2019.
“With their brutal act, the men have shown a complete lack of respect for the life of another,” the court stated. “Solely for money, they took Wiersum’s life and inflicted immense and irreparable suffering on his wife, children, parents, and other relatives,” the judge added.
Wiersum, a Dutch lawyer, was shot and fatally wounded outside of his home by a man who fled the scene in a getaway car. Prosecutors said mobile phone data identified that the two individuals were both in the area at the time of the killing, and police found traces of their DNA in the getaway vehicle.
Giermo B. and Moreno B. had used other cars as they monitored the lawyer’s movements days before shooting him.
At the time of his murder, Wiersum was representing a witness during a high-profile criminal case concerning suspected gang bosses linked to underworld killings.
Dutch gangland boss Ridouan Taghi is one of the main suspects involved in the trial, which continues to run. His charges include involvement in six murders and four attempted murders.
An individual known only as Nabil B. was Wiersum’s witness. He was involved in one of Taghi’s alleged murders but had agreed to provide evidence in return for a lighter sentence.
In September, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported that Prime Minister Mark Rutte was receiving extra security amid fears that the Moroccan mafia, apparently linked to the case Wiersum was working on at the time of his death, was planning to either kidnap or assassinate the leader.
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