Man jailed for 15 years for Dam Square slaying

9 June 2004

AMSTERDAM — The 37-year-old Dutchman who shot and killed a Bulgarian criminal on Dam Square in central Amsterdam last December was sentenced on Wednesday to 15 years jail.

Amsterdam Court convicted the suspect — identified as Erwin V. — on charges of murder, attempted murder and illegal weapon possession. The prosecutor had demanded 18 years jail and will appeal based on legal technicalities.

The man’s lawyer said immediately after the guilty verdict was handed down that the defence would also lodge an appeal. “The evidence is not evidence,” the lawyer said.

V. was convicted of using a pistol to shoot Konstantin Dimitrov, 33, in the back of the head. The bullet exited the victim’s head near his left eyebrow and struck Dimitrov’s girlfriend also in the head.

The Bulgarian photo model — identified as Tsetsi Petkova, 23 — was seriously injured, but survived the 6 December 2003 shooting. She has been disfigured for life.

Dimitrov and his girlfriend had been staying at the Krasnapolsky Hotel in Dam Square since the start of November 2003. The drugs baron had fled Bulgaria after surviving an earlier gangland shoot out.

V. escaped on foot from the scene of the crime, but was later arrested while drinking coffee at a cafe in De Pijp. The weapon was recovered from a city centre canal.

In handing down the sentence, the court said it took into account the brutal nature of the crime and the fact it took place in broad daylight amid city shoppers. The court also said V. had “shown a serious lack of respect for human life”.

Subject: Dutch news