The trial of Henk R., known as the ‘Black Cobra,’ a 71-year-old accused of a double murder committed in 1993 in Antwerp, began on Monday in Amsterdam. “I have forgotten a lot of things, but I want to declare what I remember,” he said.
Henk R. is suspected of ordering the murders of diamond dealer and drug trafficker Henie Shamel (55) and his partner Anne De Witte (44). The two victims were shot dead on the night of 8-9 May 1993.
The investigation into this case was eventually included in another investigation, which focused on the settling of scores in the Amsterdam criminal underworld. A key witness in that case gave statements about the murders.
Five other defendants have already been convicted for their role in the murders: the two shooters, a driver and two people who organised the killings. Three of them were sentenced to life imprisonment. At the time, Henk R. was not charged. He was serving a 16-year sentence in the United States for smuggling ecstasy.
The Dutch prosecution believes that the defendant ordered the murder of Hennie Shamel because of a debt of one million dollars following an intercepted drug delivery.
'Bumping him off is cheaper than paying up'
According to one of the witnesses in the investigation, Henk R. had the diamond dealer killed on the pretext that “bumping him off is cheaper than paying up,” while Anne De Witte died only because she was in the vehicle with Hennie Shamel.
In court in Amsterdam, Henk R. denied any involvement, asserting that he was “absolutely not” behind the double murder and had no debt to Hennie Shamel.
According to the septuagenarian, he earned a good living thanks to the victim, who therefore felt entitled to a certain percentage, which was why Henk R. regularly paid him small amounts, he confirmed on Monday.
“But a debt? No,” his lawyer argued, pointing out that there was plenty of evidence that former drug dealer Stanley Kai Esser, who died in 2020, was the mastermind behind the murders, not his client.
On Monday, the court cited a long series of witness statements about Henk R.’s alleged close ties to the three men charged with the murders. He himself admitted to regularly selling drugs to two of them, but denied hiring them to do dirty work. “I was just doing business with them,” he said.
The Amsterdam court will devote four days to the case.
