Verdict against Jasper S. expected April 19, 2013. Jasper S. is of course standing trial re the 1999 rape-murder of Marianne Vaatstra.
The prosecution asked for 20 years however, his lawyer thinks that is too much and expects a sentence of 15 years. He does not consider Marianne’s murder proven beyond a reasonable doubt. He does not contest the rape however, he is contesting the tying of Marianne’s hands.
Marianne was only sixteen years old when she was found murdered. During the night of May 1, 1999, Jasper S. saw Marianne on a bike. He had seen the two boys she was cycling with continuing in another direction. They had their lights on. Marianne did not. He was supposedly surprised to see a young woman alone. He thought “she’s mine” and acted upon that thought. He stated that he did not know her. Jasper forced Marianne with a knife into the field where she was later found dead.
The case has drawn international attention due to the DNA involved. On September 29, 2012, police began a “DNA relationship testing” in a 5 km radius of the crime scene of approx. 8,000 men. In this study, on a voluntary basis, police studied whether there were people who had a similar chromosomal Y-DNA profile as that of the perpetrator. If so, they could try to find a match with familial DNA to trace the killer.
On November 19, 2012, police announced it had found a match. Arrested was Jasper S., a 45-year-old man who lived 2.5 kilometers from the crime scene. Jasper S. apparently voluntarily gave a DNA sample for testing. In a second study of the sample, it was confirmed that his DNA profile matched the DNA traces found on Marianne’s body.
To be continued.