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Kim de
GELDER
Classification: Murderer
Characteristics:
Nursery rampage -
Motive unknown
Number of victims: 4
Date of murders: January 16/23, 2009
Date of arrest:
January 23, 2009
Date of birth: 1988
Victims profile: Elza van Raemdonck,
73 / Leon Garcia-Mannaert, a nine-month old boy / Corneel
Vermeir, a six-month old boy / Marita Blindeman, 54
The Dendermonde nursery attack was a
stabbing attack on the Fabeltjesland daycare centre in the
village of Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde in Dendermonde, Belgium, at
10:00 a.m. CET (9:00 a.m. UTC) on 23 January 2009. Three people were
stabbed to death, and twelve were mutilated in the attack.
The suspect has been linked to a separate murder of
an elderly lady and police have suggested he was plotting more nursery
attacks. The daycare centre involved in the initial attack is expected
never to reopen.
Attack
Kim De Gelder, a 20 year-old Belgian from Sinaai,
entered the Fabeltjesland nursery, located in Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde
in Dendermonde, Belgium, through an unlocked side door, claiming he
had a question. He then entered one of the rooms and began attacking
small children before moving up some stairs, where he continued in
another room.
The man was reported to be wearing black and white
makeup with his hair vividly coloured in red, similar to that of The
Joker. De Gelder's attorney, Jaak Haentjens, later formally denied any
link to "the Joker", attributing the claims of face paint to De
Gelder's pale skin. Kim De Gelder was, in eyes of his friends and
colleagues, a silent boy, who never said anything.
A total of eighteen infants under the age of three
and six adults were in the nursery at the time of the attack. Two
infants and one adult were killed six children, between one and three
years old, were seriously injured, another four suffered minor
injuries and nine escaped unscathed. The alleged perpetrator left the
scene on his bike.
Victims
Leon Garcia-Mannaert, a nine-month old boy,
Corneel Vermeir, a nine-month old boy,
Marita Blindeman, a 54-year-old child minder.
Initial reports on Belgian television suggested
that five people had been killed and twenty had been injured, with
government officials only confirming the death of one adult and one
child. This number was later increased, as another infant had died
from the injuries he had sustained. It has also been reported that
some of the surviving children have needed plastic surgery due to
serious mutilations.
Arrest and aftermath
A massive search operation was mounted, and a man
was captured by police a short while later, in the nearby town of
Lebbeke. Having been wounded during his capture, the man was taken to
a hospital in Aalst, Belgium. Police reported that he was carrying a
list of nurseries, of which they suspect he may have been planning to
attack as well.
The mayor of Dendermonde, Piet Buyse, said, "The
victims are being cared for and those who were not injured have been
brought to a centre where they are receiving counseling."
At a press conference on the evening of the attack,
public prosecutor Christian Du Four provided the following information
about the alleged offender, denying several early rumours:
"He is a 20-year-old Belgian and was not under the
influence of drugs or alcoholic beverages. He acts strangely and mocks
his interrogators. He is not a patient of a psychiatric institution.
He has so far given five different identities"
The attacker was later identified as Kim De Gelder
on 25 January 2009. De Gelder confided in his attorney, stating that
he had been troubled by depression as a teenager and at one point
heard voices in his head. Regardless, a psychiatrist had concluded
that he did not need to be sent to a mental institution.
Some 6,000 people marched through Dendermonde on 25
January 2009, laying hundreds of bouquets and stuffed animals outside
the daycare centre as the Mayor of Dendermonde, Piet Buyse, announced
that the Fabeltjesland nursery would never reopen.
On 26 January 2009, Belgian officials named Kim De
Gelder as the lead suspect in a further, fourth murder, where a 73-year-old
woman was stabbed to death in her apartment in Beveren, near Antwerp,
on 16 January. Prosecutor Christian Du Four told journalists that
there were "very clear indications of links between the murders",
though De Gelder denies any involvement. Police have stated that he
was planning attacks on other nurseries.
On 27 January, De Gelder admitted to the attacks.
The media originally reported that DeGelder was wearing make-up at the
time of the attack, making him look like the Joker character from the
Batman films, but police have not confirmed that depiction.
In further media reports, De Gelder reportedly
watched The Dark Knight an unusually high number of times ("film
obsession"), appears to have quoted the character Harvey Dent at the
start of the attack, and committed the attacks on the one-year
anniversary of Heath Ledger's death. Both police investigators and De
Gelder's lawyer have made statements dismissing such as relevant to
his motive in the attack.
On March 22, 2013 a jury declared de Gelder was
fully accountable for the attack and found him guilty of four counts
of murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment the following day.
Reactions
Italian singer Luciano Ligabue dedicated a song to
the victims, Quando mi vieni a prendere? (Dendermonde 23/01/09)
inserted in his 2010 album, Arrivederci, Mostro!.
Wikipedia.org
Life in prison for Belgian creche killer Kim De
Gelder
BBC.co.uk
March 22, 2013
A Belgian man has been sentenced to life in prison
for killing two babies and a child minder in a knife attack at a
creche near Brussels in 2009.
A jury determined Kim De Gelder, 24, could be held
fully accountable for the killings in Dendermonde, despite concerns
about his mental condition.
He was arrested following the nursery rampage that
injured 13 others - mostly babies - and admitted responsibility.
His month-long trial focused on whether he suffered
from a mental disease.
De Gelder was also convicted of stabbing a
73-year-old woman to death in her home in Beveren, not far from
Dendermonde, a week before the nursery attacks.
The jurors were left in "not the least bit of
doubt" that De Gelder could be held accountable for his actions, said
the court in a statement.
The trial was held in Ghent, near Dendermonde and
some 50km (30 miles) west of Brussels.
Belgium's 'creche killer' knows he did something
'inhuman' in centre where two babies and a teacher were slashed to
death
By Alan Hall and David Williams - DailyMail.co.uk
January 28, 2009
The Belgian man suspected of slashing two babies
and a staff member to death at a daycare centre suffered from
depression and 'heard voices in his head', his lawyer said today.
Kim de Gelder, 20, understood he did something
'inhuman' but remained aloof and emotionless during a short session at
court where he was remanded in custody, Jaak Haentjens added.
Even if De Gelder remained vague about the killings
on Friday at the nursery in Dendermonde, he denied fatally stabbing a
73-year-old woman in a similar attack the week before, Haentjens
continued.
Authorities are still investigating the motive for
last week's attack, which also left ten other young children and two
adults wounded.
'It remains a mystery,' Haentjens said. 'I want to
know why he did it. I am looking for the truth, whatever the truth may
be.'
Haentjens said that, even though his client 'obviously
understands that he did something which is inhuman', he later said
that De Gelder had no specific memories of what happened in the
daycare centre.
Investigators say they have evidence De Gelder was
planning to attack two more nurseries.
The thin and pale De Gelder, who was arrested
shortly after the attack, refused to speak or eat for three days, but
finally opened up before his lawyer.
So far, De Gelder faces three murder charges for
the killings of a six-month-old boy, Corneel Vermeir, a nine-month-old
girl, Leon Garcia, and a 54-year-old carer Marita Blindeman.
He also faces 12 attempted murder charges for the
ten injured children and two workers, some of whom are still
recovering from surgery needed after the attack.
Haentjens spoke of De Gelder troubled youth. 'When
he was 15-16, he had an, apparently serious, depression,' he said. At
18, he was considered for 'a forced entry into psychiatry which, for
reasons unclear, did not happen'.
Haentjens said an investigation had shown that 'at
a certain point, he spoke of certain voices in his head'.
'We have to accept that, in our society, there can
be people who can do things, driven by voices, forces, which they do
not realize and which they cannot control,' he said.
Du Four said de Gelder lived some 20 miles from the
scene of the crime.
De Gelder had no previous criminal record. When he
was arrested he was carrying a knife, a small axe, a fake pistol and
was wearing body armour. Two more knives were found at the scene.
'We don't know about his motive. He doesn't say
anything... he's very passive,' said Mr Du Four, adding that the
suspect would appear in court on Tuesday.
Police are still trying to establish a motive for
the attack at the Fabeltjesland creche - which means in English, 'the
land of fables'.
The attacker apparently tricked his way into the
nursery, then ran amok stabbing children and staff before escaping by
bicycle. The dead carer has been named as Marita Blindeman.
Prosecutor Christian Du Four said: 'He did not
escape from a psychiatric institution. He was not under the influence
of alcohol or drugs,' he said, referring to reported rumours about the
suspect.
Mr Du Four said the weapon had been found,
describing it as a 'large knife' about 12in long.
The deaths left Dendermonde, half an hour north
west of Brussels, in shock.
Members of the Belgian royal family have gone to
the town to visit the scene and speak to emergency workers.
About 18 children, some just babes in arms, were at
the creche when, police say, a man knocked on the door and was let in.
He immediately produced knives and lashed out at
the children - including those being held by staff at the day-care
centre.
The attacker is believed to come from nearby
Grembergen and to harbour a grudge against children. He had no
connection to the nursery, according to officials.
At the bloodstained nursery, medics were in tears
as they treated the child victims, who were all under six. Some
rescuers had children at the centre.
Only nine of the 21 children in the building
escaped unhurt.
Police showed digital photographs of the injured
children to parents and relatives in an attempt to identify them. They
put numbers on the heads of each child victim to help the process.
'There was blood everywhere and of course there was
panic,' said Theo Janssens, a senior member of Dendermonde's
department of social services who was on the scene within five
minutes.
'It was horrible. You can't imagine it. The two who
were killed were just babies. One was already dead when I got there
and the other was in a very bad way.
'One of the adult staff was also already dead'.
Police said De Gelder, who was unknown at the
creche, muttered: 'I have a question,' as he was let in the front door
and then began lashing out with a knife.
Dendermonde's chief of police, Paul Puttemans, said
the attack began when he arrived at the creche on a bicycle - wearing
a bullet-proof vest.
Mr Puttemans said he was believed to be carrying
several knives and possibly other weapons.
After carrying out the frenzied attack in
Dendermonde near Brussels, the knifeman
made his escape on a bicycle. He was arrested shortly afterwards at a
clinic where he had been receiving in-patient treatment.
He fought back against the policemen who detained
him, injuring himself and two officers.
Surgeon Ignace Demeyer, who is hospital co-ordinator
for emergencies in the Dendermonde region, said he hoped that the
children caught up in the attack were young enough not to be scarred
in later life by the memories.
Extra supplies of blood for transfusions were sent
from Brussels to the local hospital where at least three of the
injured children were said to be in a critical condition.
'But they will be physically scarred,' he said. 'We
have 10 children, what I would call toddlers, in hospital being
treated for wounds. They will all survive, as well as two adults
working at the centre.'
Asked how one man had been able to attack so many
in just a few moments with a knife, Mr Demeyer replied: 'The truth is
that stabbing children is very easy, especially when they are very
small, and some of these would have been sleeping'.
'For those who survived, this was horribly
traumatic and they are already being put into post-traumatic stress
programmes.'
Piet Buys, mayor of Dendermonde, said: ‘The killing
zone has been cordoned off and the victims are being attended to.
‘Those who were not injured have been brought to a
central crisis centre for care and counselling.
'They are in deep shock and need help. We are
devastated by this. We do not know who the perpetrator is or his
motives.'
Belgium’s interior minister, Zaken Guido De Padt,
promised a review of security in kindergartens across the country.
'We must ask how this assailant was able to gain
access to the premises to commit this terrible crime,' he said.
De Gelder was known to local police and had been
arrested on more than one occasion for drug-related offences.
He was taken to a police station in Brussels
usually reserved for terrorist suspects.
Belgian 'admits creche murders'
BBC.co.uk
January 27, 2009
The Belgian man charged with killing two babies and
a nurse at a creche near Brussels has admitted carrying out the
murders, his lawyer has said.
Kim De Gelder, 20, "understands that what he did
was inhuman", lawyer Jaak Haentjes said.
He was arrested following Friday's knife rampage
through a nursery in the town of Dendermonde, in which 13 people were
also hurt - most of them babies.
He appeared before court on Tuesday, which remanded
him into custody.
Authorities say they also suspect him of killing an
elderly woman.
Prosecutor Christian Du Four said he was believed
to have been behind the stabbing of a 73-year-old woman in her home in
Beveren, not far from Dendermonde, a week earlier.
Mr Haentjes said his client had denied all
knowledge of that attack.
Motive 'a mystery'
Mr De Gelder has so far refused to talk to
investigators about the rampage through the Fabeltjesland daycare
centre.
But he opened up to his lawyer.
"I think that he feels regret. That's what he says,
but it would be going too far to say that he repents," Mr Haentjes
told the Belga news agency.
"It was a constructive discussion, about his life,
but also the incident. The reason why he chose babies in a creche as
his victims remains a mystery. I want to know why he did that. He too,
he is ready to help in that sense," the lawyer said.
He also said that Mr De Gelder had been troubled by depression as a
teenager and at one point heard voices in his head, but that a
psychiatrist had concluded that he did not need to be sent to a mental
institution.
The incident has shocked Belgium, and
on Monday night Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy and other government
ministers joined the latest vigil outside the creche, at which the
victims' parents were also present.
Mr De Gelder has
been described as "immature", "shy" and a "loner", by acquaintances
tracked down by the Belgian press.
The media have
reported that he was wearing make-up at the time of the attack, that
made him look like the Joker character from the Batman films, but
police say that is not confirmed.
But police have
said he was carrying a list of nurseries, and they suspect he may have
been planning to launch further attacks.
Infants stabbed at Belgian creche
BBC.co.uk
January 23, 2009
Two
pre-school children and an adult have been killed and 13 other people
wounded in a knife attack at a creche in north-western Belgium.
A man who had painted his face black and white reportedly tricked his
way into the nursery in Dendermonde, where he ran amok before
escaping.
A suspect was arrested at a nearby shop
and will appear in court later.
Parents have been
asked to identify their children from photographs taken at local
hospitals.
'Great brutality'
Dr Ignace Demeyer, director of a nearby hospital, told the Associated
Press that 10 children had been brought in needing surgery.
"All the kids had multiple stab wounds on their legs, arms and all
over their bodies," he said.
Two women - believed to
be nursery workers - and another child were also hurt in the attack.
The woman who was killed was also working at the creche at the time.
Officials said the adults had been injured as they tried to put
themselves between the attacker and the children.
An
act of great brutality has happened here against our weakest
citizens," said Dendermonde's mayor, Buyse Piet.
"The whole city is united in support for the parents who are in deep
grief."
The creche was evacuated soon after the
incident and local authorities put a disaster plan in place.
Town in shock
Nursery staff told journalists
that the attacker was not known to them.
Officials
said he rang the doorbell at the Fabeltjesland nursery at 1000 local
time (0900 GMT) and told staff he needed some information.
When they opened the door, he ran in and began attacking three of the
infants.
"He quickly pulled out a knife and started
using it on the children," said local prosecutor Christian Du Four.
"He then went up to another floor and started doing the same thing
again."
The prosecutor said the man's face had been
smeared with a white colouring but his eyes had been blackened.
He escaped from the scene by bicycle but was arrested at a
supermarket.
Residents told the BBC that the town
was stunned.
Damien Vernon, a 43-year-old from
Ireland who has lived in Dendermonde for five years, said: "It's just
a sad day here, we're a small town and the crime figures are low here,
we're just in shock."
The creche looks after 18
children aged three and under.
Police have been
showing parents digital photographs of the youngsters taken to
hospital, asking them to identify their children.
The children and staff from the nursery who escaped without injury are
now receiving counselling.
