14 and 39 years old they were: Romy and her mother Marlous. And they remain that old, because on September 28, 2023, they were shot dead in their home. 33-year-old Fouad L. is on trial for the murders of them, and of family doctor and teacher Jurgen Damen (44). "I stroked her head as she breathed her last," Romy's twin sister said in court.
The emotional charge of this day was palpable in court even before the hearing. On the small table near the microphone where the relatives will speak today, pictures of Romy and Marlous have been placed. Smiling, so different from those on September 28, 2023, the day their neighbor Fouad L. opened fire on them.
Romy, only 14 years old, was opening the door that day when L. rang the bell. He immediately shot her, after which he returned to his own house, started a fire, and went back to the house where Marlous, Romy and her best friend were. There he chased Marlous and shot her to death. Romy died later that day in the hospital.
Screamed loudly
Romy's twin sister, older sister, younger brother, her father and her best friend all speak today. Each of their lives has been changed by the events. "It feels like a piece of my heart has been taken away," Romy's oldest sister said in court.
The best friend was present in the house when L. rang the bell. Romy was anxiously awaiting the new coat she had ordered that day. Together they sat on the couch. They were making a movie for TikTok, as they often did together. When the doorbell rang, they said in chorus, "The coat!
"Romy ran to the front door happy and excited," the friend told the courtroom today. But it wasn't the package deliverer and it wasn't the new coat. "Then I heard a bang, like a balloon unexpectedly popped near my ear. It was a bang that would change a lot of lives forever."
She hid under a table, saw L. walking quietly and "as if nothing was wrong" through the apartment. When he was out of sight, she tried to wake Romy. "But she stopped responding."
Under the blood
The friend immediately called Romy's twin sister, via Romy's phone. She, too, is speaking in court today. "She said Romy had been shot," she recounted emotionally. "I didn't believe her. Then the friend facetimed me and I saw that she was covered in blood."
She called her older sister, and together they rushed to the house where Marlous had already died by that time, and where emergency services were doing everything they could to save Romy's life. "It was like a movie," said Romy's father, who had also come to the home. There was smoke, fire and a lot of chaos. Romy's twin sister screamed loudly upon arrival, although today she says she does not remember.
The family was told - once at the hospital - by phone that Marlous had not survived. At that moment they were still living between hope and fear, while at the same time the doctors were doing everything they could to save Romy. Until it became clear that she would die. They were taken to a room, where they were allowed to say goodbye. "That confrontation was very intense," says Romy's father. "My sweet, beautiful daughter of only 14 years old, who had been shot just like that, was lying there."
"She died of her injuries before my eyes. I cannot find the words to describe grief and pain I felt then and still feel."
'You I hate'
Marlous' parents also spoke this afternoon. With them a lot of sadness, but certainly also anger toward Fouad L. was noticeable. "Fortunately, I have never known hate," said the father, who before his statement asked L. in vain to look at him. "But you I hate. I hate you to the smallest fiber of my body."
Because, according to him, Marlous in particular was "one of the sweetest people on earth. Marlous' sister also called her warm, loving and driven, with an infectious smile and an indestructible willpower. "Two wonderful, sweet people gone. Why?" the father asked L. "By your act, you also wiped out your own life. The maximum hypocrisy is that you wanted to go take an oath to save lives and then wantonly take away three."
Marlous' mother said she cursed Fouad L. for what he did. "How do you think it feels that my dearest daughter and granddaughter were murdered and butchered? That they had no way to go. How panicked they must have been," the mother spoke. "You are a danger to this world."
No excuses
Fouad L., who sits with his back to the relatives during the statements, remains motionless. Where emotions run high with the relatives at various moments, emotion remains absent with L.. It is "obviously" extremely sad as far as he is concerned, he says, but he does not make an apology, nor does it seem to make much of an impression on him, although he says he is "impressed by the suffering.
L. was examined by experts at the Pieter Baan Center (PBC) last year. They concluded that Fouad L. suffers from an autistic and dissociative disorder and is therefore diminished culpability for the acts of which he is suspected. Especially processing emotions is difficult for him due to his disorders.
Big implications
The effects are still strong for the bereaved. For example, the best friend has PTSD and Romy's twin sister did not manage to go to school for a long time. Since she also looks a lot like her twin sister, she has had to deal with children yelling at her on the street, "See, you're not dead at all, it's all a lie. "This really bothered me and it also made me angry," she said.
All next of kin today clearly express their hope that L. will never be released again. Romy's younger brother, who can be heard as an audio clip in the courtroom, says he is afraid that "the neighbor" will one day be released again. "I'm afraid he will then come to my new house and hurt us," he said.
https://www.rtl.nl/nieuws/binnenland/artikel/5491793/erasmusschutter-marlous-romy-slachtoffers-nabestaanden
