17.30: 'I feel guilty'
Some neighbours who witnessed the shooting are suffering from trauma and PTSD. They also exercise their right to speak, either personally or through their lawyer. “I feel guilty”, a neighbour tells L. “I told Marlous that she shouldn’t be afraid of you, but should pity you. That you weren’t dangerous, but sick and lonely.”
After the statements, the public prosecutor and various lawyers further elaborate on the compensation claims of the residents. During these explanations, most people on the public gallery left. At 17.30, the judge concluded the session. Tomorrow, starting at 9.30, the prosecutor’s closing speech and sentencing demands are on the agenda.
14.30: 'The bill should be passed on to the perpetrator'
The public gallery is full, forcing a few people to stand in the corner or against the walls. Further explanations of the claims are on the agenda. “A murder not only causes immense suffering but also costs money. The bill should not be passed on to the bereaved but to the perpetrator”, says lawyer Peter Schouten.
After the lawyers for the bereaved explain the claims, the judge suspends the trial for fifteen minutes. This will be followed by the final explanations of the claims, after which a few neighbours will have the right to speak.
14.00: 'I want you to look at me'
At the court’s request, photos of Romy and Marlous are turned around, now facing the judges. Marlous’ mother stands at the lectern. “In the first period after the deaths of Marlous and Romy, I wasn’t living. I was merely surviving the days, the hours, the minutes”, she says. She turns to L. “As a mother and grandmother, I curse you for what you’ve done. How do you think it feels to hear that my dearest daughter and granddaughter were murdered and butchered? How does that feel, do you think?” She continues: “I’m glad you will never become a doctor. You should never walk free again; you are a danger to this world.” Her words are met with applause from the gallery.
Marlous’ sister takes over. “I want to tell you who my sister and niece were because it is important that you understand what you have done”, she says to L. The audience is visibly moved by her words. Every gaze in the courtroom, including that of the lawyers, is fixed on her. Only L. refuses to turn around, keeping his eyes locked on the laptop screen in front of him.
When Marlous’ father takes his turn, he says to L.: “I want you to look at me.” L. does not move, keeping his back turned to the bereaved. After a few seconds of silence, the judge explains that L. is not obliged to comply with the request. “You are the devil in his foulest form”, Marlous’ father continues. “In my 64 years on this earth, I have never known hate. But I hate you. I hate you down to the smallest fibre of my being.” He, too, is met with applause from the audience.
L. responds to Marlous’ father’s speech: “His story is more colourful. I feel what he feels.” His remark causes unrest in the public gallery.
The judge calls a ten-minute break.
13.40: 'I feel affected'
Before the lunch break, Fouad L. indicated that he wanted to say something. Now he gets the chance. “I feel affected by everything that has been said this morning and by the details the lawyers have mentioned. I’ll leave it at that.”
12.45 pm: 'Just getting some fresh air'
During the lunch break, jugs of water, tea, and coffee are available for attendees on a table outside courtroom 35, where the case is being heard. While pouring coffee, bereaved family members talk and try to comfort each other. “It’s damn tough, isn’t it?” one says. “Yes,” another replies. “But we’ll get through this together.” Some choose to eat their sandwiches outside. “Just getting some fresh air; it was suffocating in there.”
The hearing resumes at 13.30.
11.00: Defence contests all claims; audience annoyed
After the break, the compensation claims from the relatives of Marlous and Romy are discussed. If compensation claims are not too complex, they can be handled within the criminal case. In total, the claims amount to hundreds of thousands in compensation, involving Erasmus MC, students, as well as the relatives of Romy and Marlous.
Lawyer Alex van Kernebeek, representing Marlous’s children, criticises L. and his lawyers for contesting all the claims. “While L. is clearly responsible for all the suffering”, he says.
“Of course, human lives can never be measured in money”, says Pietrick Visser, the lawyer representing Fouad L. He insists that the intention is not to cause the victims additional distress. “But the claims are complicated, and the demands are not sufficiently substantiated.”
“Unbelievable”, someone in the public gallery responds.
Frank Hamer, the lawyer representing Romy’s father, then takes the floor. He also points out that the defence is contesting his claims, partly on the grounds that certain documents were allegedly submitted too late. “That was a peculiar remark”, he says. He argues that it is incorrect and that the claims submitted are ‘far from complicated’. Jordi L’Homme, the lawyer of Romy’s best friend, then adds: “The requested amount is entirely reasonable.”
10.15: 'Then I heard a bang. A bang that changed my life forever'
Romy’s father also exercises his right to speak. He describes how he experienced that day. He received a call from one of his daughters saying that Romy had been shot. He couldn’t reach Marlous. When he arrived at the house, he encountered a chaotic situation: ambulance crews, police and firefighters were already there. “It didn’t feel real at all, and yet it was so very real”, he says. “I have no words to describe my pain.”
Romy’s best friend was at her house when Fouad L. rang the doorbell. “That afternoon, I was playing around with TikTok with Romy”, she says. Romy received a message saying her new coat was being delivered. “Then the doorbell rang, and we yelled: ‘New coat!’” Romy opened the door. “Then I heard a loud bang. A bang that changed my life forever. I ran to her and tried to wake her up. ‘I’ve been shot, I’ve been shot’, Romy said.” As she tried to keep Romy awake, she noticed that TikTok was still running, recording everything that had happened. She pauses and tries to steady her voice.
“Instinctively, I looked for a place to hide. I hid under the table. The living room was hazy with smoke. It was getting harder to breathe, and I really thought I was going to die. From under the table, I saw you walking”, she says, addressing L. “My whole world collapsed. You didn’t just end three lives – you shattered many more. I used to be a cheerful girl, now I am the girl under the table. A girl with depression, PTSD, and without her best friend.”
9.45: 'I feel lost without Romy and Mum'
At the start of the hearing, the floor is given to the family of Marlous and Romy, the neighbour and her daughter who were shot dead. Framed photos of mother and daughter stand on a lectern in the middle of the room. A staff member places a box of tissues beside them. Romy’s twin sister begins her story. “There were five of us living in the house: mum, our older sister, Romy and I, and our younger brother. We were very happy together.” She continues: “Romy and I were real twins. We went to the same school, shared a bedroom and did everything together.”
On that fateful day, she had gone outside, while Romy stayed home to wait for the delivery of her new coat. “I often think: what would have happened if I hadn’t gone outside, or if Romy had come with me? Would I have been dead? Would Romy still be alive?” She is not much of a talker, she continues. She keeps her grief to herself and often suppresses it. “I feel lost without Romy and mum.” Almost no one in the public gallery can hold back their tears.
Romy’s older sister then takes the floor: “Mum was my best friend.” And when the court plays a recorded message from their younger brother, tears flow again in the audience. “I’m sad, but also very angry at the neighbour for killing mum and Romy”, he says. “I don’t understand why he did it. I find it difficult and upsetting that I can’t go back to my old home. I have to go to a new school and a new house. I’m afraid the neighbour will be released and hurt us.”
The judge asks Fouad L. what he thinks of what he has heard. “It is clear that it is extremely sad”, he responds coolly.
9.00: Busiest day expected so far
The first day of the trial was already an unprecedentedly busy day for the court. The courtroom was full, as was the public gallery and the room where people could follow the hearing via a screen. Today, the day featuring victim statements from the relatives of Romy and Marlous – the neighbour and the neighbour’s daughter of the suspect, Fouad L. – even greater interest is expected, with more people coming to show their support for the family. The hearing will begin at 9.30.