The Public Prosecution Service demanded prison sentences of twelve and sixteen years on Monday against the two men suspected of the death of Tonny ter Horst. The victim was shot dead in 2000.
Ter Horst was shot dead on October 9, 2000, at the age of 34 by two fleeing robbers in the Gelderland village of Terborg. He died in the arms of his sister, who had heard the sound of the shots from her house. The robbers had robbed a coffee shop just before.
The sentences are against a 51-year-old from Doetinchem and a 54-year-old from Didam. The man from Doetinchem should be imprisoned for twelve years as far as the Public Prosecution Service (OM) is concerned. Although he did not shoot, that is “not necessary for a conviction for joint commission,” writes the OM.
According to the OM, the suspect from Didam did shoot. He would also have done so to eliminate a witness to the robbery. Because he would also have shot the coffee shop owner, the OM wants this suspect behind bars for sixteen years.
The suspect from Doetinchem was previously convicted of the robbery in 2001. Three years later, he and two others were acquitted on appeal. After that, things remained quiet around the case for a long time, until a witness reported to crime journalist Peter R. de Vries in 2020. It was the brother of the suspect, who made an incriminating statement in 2021.
In March 2024, the police reopened the case after new information was received. In the same month, AVROTROS broadcast Opsporing Verzocht live from Terborg to bring the case to the attention. The police asked for tips in the broadcast. The two suspects were arrested in April.