Seven years ago, the Dutch were shocked by the details of the story of Hetty Werink, who was tortured to death by her own husband. However, the shock of that time cannot be compared with the current one - it turns out that the killer husband, on quite legal grounds, this year made a claim to the inheritance of his deceased victim.
Painful death
In March 2015, 60-year-old Hetty Verink died an agonizing death at her home on Nettenknoper Street in Beuningen. For weeks, the woman was tortured by her own husband, Laurent D., until she bled to death. The man is eighteen years younger than the victim and has only been married to her for two years.
The violent death of Hetty Werink in 2015 caused great shock and bottomless grief for her relatives. No one could have imagined what an unpleasant continuation this story would have.
Blood Legacy
In 2016, Laurent D. was not sentenced to prison because, according to experts, the man suffered from mental disorders and killed his wife during a severe psychosis. The court decided that for this reason the man could not be charged with manslaughter. Accordingly, his punishment was detention (terbeschikkingstelling, TBS) with compulsory treatment. Now the man is in a psychiatric clinic and is preparing to return to society.
Since Laurent D. was not sentenced to prison, according to the letter of the law, he can claim his wife's inheritance, including a villa with a large plot of land in Corle near Winterswijk (Corle, Winterswijk). Under Dutch law, he could only be disinherited if he were sentenced for murder to a prison sentence of more than four years. The laws say nothing about TBS with involuntary treatment as a justification for disinheritance. Now the man declares his rights as an heir.
Dutch Justice
Relatives of Hetty Werink are outraged: "It's so unfair: man who tortured wife to death claims inheritance. Laurent D. can even inherit diaries in which a woman wrote that she wanted to leave him. "He did not work. Therefore, together they did not amass anything. With a divorce, he would have received nothing. He benefits from her death.", the family said.
This year, the local court has already ruled in favor of bringing Laurent D. to the inheritance along with other close relatives. Soon this case will be considered on appeal. According to an expert in inheritance law, Professor Martin Jan van Mourik, from a legal point of view, the case is complex. Justice can only be restored "brave judge". Lawyer Laurent D. refrains from commenting.
Publication Date: 20.10.2022
