Prosecution Demands Twelve-Year Sentence for Heerhugowaard Son
The suspect has committed one of the most serious criminal offences,
the public prosecutor stated in an Alkmaar courtroom, as reported by NOS News. He has killed his own father. A violent action, irreversible, with lasting grief for many people.
The Public Prosecution Service demanded a 12-year prison sentence on Tuesday against 33-year-old Thijmen V. for killing his 66-year-old father in January 2021 and storing his remains in freezers at his Heerhugowaard home. Prosecutors charged V. with manslaughter rather than murder, maintaining that premeditation could not be established during the trial.
Disappearance Masked by Years of Deception
The victim, a 66-year-old man who rented a room in his son’s house, was reported missing in October 2021 by a concerned friend after months of absence, according to NOS News. Police initially suspected suicide or financial flight to a foreign country, scenarios actively suggested by the younger V.
Investigators launched a formal criminal probe in early 2023. The investigation shifted decisively toward a suspected crime by late 2024. On November 11, 2024, police executed a search warrant at the Heerhugowaard residence, where officers and canine units discovered the victim’s remains packed into freezers. Forensic examinations subsequently revealed the body had been dismembered into more than 200 pieces.
Father Died in Fatal Domestic Confrontation over Housing
The fatal confrontation stemmed from long-standing domestic friction over housing arrangements inside the shared home. Prosecutors stated that the father was struck repeatedly on the head with a hard object, supported by expert reports indicating signs of strangulation or suffocation.
Defense attorney Daniël Fontein countered that his client acted entirely in self-defense during a life-or-death struggle, NH Nieuws reported. According to the defense, the father—described as having severe gambling, alcohol, and sex addictions—attempted to poison his son with rat poison in a cup of tea. When confronted, the father allegedly attacked V. with a knife.
During the ensuing brawl, V. struck his father multiple times with a Buddha statue until the older man stopped breathing, Hart van Nederland reported. Describing the aftermath, V. told the court he was completely unglued and panicked. He spent several days, perhaps a week, dismembering the body into 238 parts, placing them in 19 garbage bags distributed across two freezers and a storage box. V. claimed he psychologically repressed the entire event until post-arrest nightmares triggered his memories.
Victim Impact Statement Delivered During Court Proceedings
During the court proceedings, a son of the victim delivered a victim impact statement. Thijmen has lied to me all this time,
he told the court, as noted by Hart van Nederland. I am terribly shocked by what you are capable of, Thijmen. I am tormented by the images of what happened.
Prosecutors condemned the defendant for treating the body in an egregious, highly disrespectful, and degrading manner. Beyond the 12-year demand for Thijmen V., a 31-year-old female suspect from Purmerend has been named a co-suspect. Her individual case will be adjudicated at a later date. The court in Alkmaar scheduled its official verdict for two weeks hence.
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