Tragedy in Gouda: Woman killed in front of her children
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) in the Netherlands confirmed that the 39-year-old woman who was shot dead in Gouda on Tuesday had reported her ex-husband, the suspect in the crime, to the police at the beginning of June. He was arrested at that time and remained in custody for two weeks. The suspect, a 53-year-old man from Eindhoven, had previously been convicted of attempting to kill another woman he was in a relationship with.
In broad daylight and in front of their two children, Driekus K. shot the woman in one of the streets of Gouda on Tuesday afternoon. Bystanders and paramedics tried to revive her, but to no avail. That night, K. was found seriously injured in the dunes of Scheveningen, and died there. The police suspect that he committed suicide.
RTL Nieuws and De Telegraaf reported that the victim was hiding in a shelter for women victims of domestic violence, and it is still unclear how K. managed to find her location, especially since the addresses of these shelters are kept confidential to protect women.
RTL Nieuws reports indicated that K.'s posts on social media showed his anger towards the woman for not being able to see his children for a while. He wrote three weeks ago: "I am fighting for you both and I will never give up on you, even if this is the last thing I do in my life."
K. was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2009 for attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend after he shot her eight times in front of their child a year before the verdict. He was also convicted of aggravated assault against her brother.