Lucia de Berk passed away on Friday at the age of 63. The Former nurse will always be known for the high-profile case in which she was wrong to live imprisonment for four Murders and three Attempted Murders. It is Known as the biggest miscarriage of justice in the Netherlands.
On Wednesday, April 14, 2010, A Rare Scene Unfolded in the Palace of Justice in Arnhem. The Crowd That had flocked to the Courtroom applauded when the court of Appeals Delivered its verdict: Lucia de Berk is not a serial killer.
It was the very last Judicial Decision in one of the most notorious cases The Netherlands Has Known. Lucia de B. was no Longer the ‘Angel of Death’.
Eight and a half years Earlier, the Story of a then-eachnown nurse at the Juliana Children’s Hospital (JKZ) in the Hague Begins with the Death of a Seriously ill baby. A Statement That The Death was Unnatural Makes It a Case for the Justice Department.
Six Days later, the birch is suspended by the Hospital because she was on Duty on the day of the babies Death. On December 14, 2001, She Official Becomes a Suspect.
No Direct Evidence, But Probability Calculation
Rumors Circulate About Several Patients Who Died Under Suspicious Circumstances Whenever De Berk was on Duty. She is also Said to Have Worked in Other Hospitals in the Hague Where Patients died for ‘Medaxy unexplained reasons’.
Althegh no Direct evidence Such as DNA traces or fingerprints was found, the public prosecution service found that de Berk was on duty remarkable of the dead the death of a patient.
Accordance to a calculation by Statistician Henk Elffers, The Chance that a nurse is present at so many Deaths was 1 in 342 million. This Calculation was later scrutinized by other statisticians: they arrived at a chance of 1 in 46.
A Passage from Her Diary also plays a Role in the Court Case. In IT, the Berk Speaks of ‘A Big Secret’ and ‘Compulsion’. That Big Secret is that She Lays Tarot Cards for Her Patients, But The Public Prosecution Service Interprets IT AS Psychological Evidence for Her Compulsion to Kill. Accordance to the birch, it has nothing to do with murderous trendencies.
The birch is battery of Thirteen Murders and Five Attempted Murders. Accordance to the justice department, She is a psychopath with an obsession with death.
Scientists speak of miscarriage of justice
In 2003, The Case Comes Before the Court. The Public Prosecution Service Demands Life Imprisonment. After a trial with numerous statements from experts, The Court Sentences De Berk in March to Life Imprisonment with TBS (Compulsory Psychiatric Treatment) for Four Murders and Three Attempted Murders. That verdict is confirmed on appeal and in cassation.
The Berk Ends Up Behind Bars With The Intention That She Will Stay There Until She Anally Dies. But More and More Holes Are Being Shot In The Evidence And Three Years Later The Case Turns Out To Be As Leaky As A Basket. Several Scientists Speak of “Judicial Error” and Send Their Analysis to the Media at the End of 2005. Several Committees and the Supreme Court Conclude That Have Been Serious Shortcomings Dering the Legal Processings.
In 2008, The Case is Reopened. The Main Evidence, Namely That the SeriOutly Ill Baby died from Digoxin Poisoning, is No Longer Tenable. The Child of Natural Causes, Accordance to Research by the Supreme Court. Experts also have serious doubts about the evidence for the other Murders that was left to the death of the baby.
In March 2010, The Public Prosecution Service Demands Acquital of All Murders and Attempted Murders. In April, The Court of Appeal concludes that all deceased patients died of natural causes. Lucia de Berk is released after six years of imprisonment.
De Berk Will Be Remembered AS A Symbol of the Fallibility of the Justice System and the Importance of Careful Investigation and Critical Review in Criminal Cases.