2 men guilty of lawyer's murder that shocked the Netherlands

Two men have been convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of a Dutch lawyer who represented a witness in a high-profile criminal case against suspected gangland bosses

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Two men were convicted Monday and sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of a Dutch lawyer who represented a witness in a high-profile criminal case against suspected gangland bosses, a slaying that shocked the nation and sparked calls for a tougher crackdown on organized crime.

The lawyer, 44-year-old Derk Wiersum, was gunned down on Sept. 18, 2019, outside his home in Amsterdam by a man who then fled in a getaway car that was waiting nearby. Police found DNA traces of both defendants in the getaway car and other vehicles used in the days before the shooting to monitor Wiersum's movements.

“With their brutal act, the men have shown a complete lack of respect for the life of another,” Amsterdam District Court said in a summary of the written verdicts. “Solely for money, they took Wiersum’s life and inflicted immense and irreparable suffering on his wife, children, parents and other relatives.”

Prosecutors said that mobile phone data also showed that both men were in the area at the time of the killing and “their involvement is shown in tapped conversations after the murder.” Lawyers for both men, who have been identified by Dutch media only as Giërmo B. and Moreno B. in line with privacy regulations, had called for their acquittal.