{"id":175336,"date":"2025-01-29T09:00:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T08:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=175336"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:40","slug":"day-three-of-the-trial-relatives-of-romy-and-marlous-speak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2025\/01\/29\/day-three-of-the-trial-relatives-of-romy-and-marlous-speak\/","title":{"rendered":"Day three of the trial: ‘I\u2019m afraid the neighbour will be released and hurt us’"},"content":{"rendered":"

After an emotional Tuesday, another emotionally charged day is scheduled in the case against Fouad L. On this third day of the trial, the relatives of 14-year-old Romy and her mother Marlous will speak. The court will also address the compensation claims of Marlous and Romy’s next of kin. Follow the live report of the day here.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tElmer Smaling<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

17.30: 'I feel guilty'<\/h2>

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. \u201cI feel guilty\u201d, a neighbour tells L. \u201cI told Marlous that she shouldn\u2019t be afraid of you, but should pity you. That you weren\u2019t dangerous, but sick and lonely.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s closing speech and sentencing demands are on the agenda.<\/p>\n

14.30: 'The bill should be passed on to the perpetrator'<\/h2>

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. \u201cA murder not only causes immense suffering but also costs money. The bill should not be passed on to the bereaved but to the perpetrator\u201d, says lawyer Peter Schouten.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

14.00: 'I want you to look at me'<\/h2>

At the court\u2019s request, photos of Romy and Marlous are turned around, now facing the judges. Marlous\u2019 mother stands at the lectern. \u201cIn the first period after the deaths of Marlous and Romy, I wasn\u2019t living. I was merely surviving the days, the hours, the minutes\u201d, she says. She turns to L. \u201cAs a mother and grandmother, I curse you for what you\u2019ve 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?\u201d She continues: \u201cI\u2019m glad you will never become a doctor. You should never walk free again; you are a danger to this world.\u201d Her words are met with applause from the gallery.<\/p>\n

Marlous\u2019 sister takes over. \u201cI want to tell you who my sister and niece were because it is important that you understand what you have done\u201d, 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.<\/p>\n

When Marlous\u2019 father takes his turn, he says to L.: \u201cI want you to look at me.\u201d 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. \u201cYou are the devil in his foulest form\u201d, Marlous\u2019 father continues. \u201cIn 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.\u201d He, too, is met with applause from the audience.<\/p>\n

L. responds to Marlous\u2019 father\u2019s speech: \u201cHis story is more colourful. I feel what he feels.\u201d His remark causes unrest in the public gallery.<\/p>\n

The judge calls a ten-minute break.<\/p>\n

13.40: 'I feel affected'<\/h2>

Before the lunch break, Fouad L. indicated that he wanted to say something. Now he gets the chance. \u201cI feel affected by everything that has been said this morning and by the details the lawyers have mentioned. I\u2019ll leave it at that.\u201d<\/p>\n

12.45 pm: 'Just getting some fresh air'<\/h2>

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. \u201cIt\u2019s damn tough, isn\u2019t it?\u201d one says. \u201cYes,\u201d another replies. \u201cBut we\u2019ll get through this together.\u201d Some choose to eat their sandwiches outside. \u201cJust getting some fresh air; it was suffocating in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The hearing resumes at 13.30.<\/p>\n

11.00: Defence contests all claims; audience annoyed<\/h2>

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.<\/p>\n

Lawyer Alex van Kernebeek, representing Marlous\u2019s children, criticises L. and his lawyers for contesting all the claims. \u201cWhile L. is clearly responsible for all the suffering\u201d, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, human lives can never be measured in money\u201d, says Pietrick Visser, the lawyer representing Fouad L. He insists that the intention is not to cause the victims additional distress. \u201cBut the claims are complicated, and the demands are not sufficiently substantiated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnbelievable\u201d, someone in the public gallery responds.<\/p>\n

Frank Hamer, the lawyer representing Romy\u2019s 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. \u201cThat was a peculiar remark\u201d, he says. He argues that it is incorrect and that the claims submitted are \u2018far from complicated\u2019. Jordi L\u2019Homme, the lawyer of Romy\u2019s best friend, then adds: \u201cThe requested amount is entirely reasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n

10.15: 'Then I heard a bang. A bang that changed my life forever'<\/h2>

Romy\u2019s 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\u2019t reach Marlous. When he arrived at the house, he encountered a chaotic situation: ambulance crews, police and firefighters were already there. \u201cIt didn\u2019t feel real at all, and yet it was so very real\u201d, he says. \u201cI have no words to describe my pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Romy\u2019s best friend was at her house when Fouad L. rang the doorbell. \u201cThat afternoon, I was playing around with TikTok with Romy\u201d, she says. Romy received a message saying her new coat was being delivered. \u201cThen the doorbell rang, and we yelled: \u2018New coat!\u2019\u201d Romy opened the door. \u201cThen I heard a loud bang. A bang that changed my life forever. I ran to her and tried to wake her up. \u2018I\u2019ve been shot, I\u2019ve been shot\u2019, Romy said.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstinctively, 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\u201d, she says, addressing L. \u201cMy whole world collapsed. You didn\u2019t just end three lives \u2013 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

9.45: 'I feel lost without Romy and Mum'<\/h2>

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\u2019s twin sister begins her story. \u201cThere were five of us living in the house: mum, our older sister, Romy and I, and our younger brother. We were very happy together.\u201d She continues: \u201cRomy and I were real twins. We went to the same school, shared a bedroom and did everything together.\u201d<\/p>\n

On that fateful day, she had gone outside, while Romy stayed home to wait for the delivery of her new coat. \u201cI often think: what would have happened if I hadn\u2019t gone outside, or if Romy had come with me? Would I have been dead? Would Romy still be alive?\u201d She is not much of a talker, she continues. She keeps her grief to herself and often suppresses it. \u201cI feel lost without Romy and mum.\u201d Almost no one in the public gallery can hold back their tears.<\/p>\n

Romy\u2019s older sister then takes the floor: \u201cMum was my best friend.\u201d And when the court plays a recorded message from their younger brother, tears flow again in the audience. \u201cI\u2019m sad, but also very angry at the neighbour for killing mum and Romy\u201d, he says. \u201cI don\u2019t understand why he did it. I find it difficult and upsetting that I can\u2019t go back to my old home. I have to go to a new school and a new house. I\u2019m afraid the neighbour will be released and hurt us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The judge asks Fouad L. what he thinks of what he has heard. \u201cIt is clear that it is extremely sad\u201d, he responds coolly.<\/p>\n

9.00: Busiest day expected so far<\/h2>

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 \u2013 the neighbour and the neighbour\u2019s daughter of the suspect, Fouad L. \u2013 even greater interest is expected, with more people coming to show their support for the family. The hearing will begin at 9.30.<\/p>\n\n\t

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Read about the second day of the trial<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t