A 71-year-old man arrested on Monday as part of the investigation into the death of lawyer Claudia Van Der Stichelen in 2023 has been charged with murder and attempted murder by the investigating judge.
The East Flanders Public Prosecutor’s Office, PPO, confirmed a breakthrough in the case and said that DNA evidence linked the suspect to the crime.
Claudia Van Der Stichelen was shot dead on 28 October 2023 at her home in Sint-Lievens-Houtem, East Flanders. On that day, a man broke into the family home in broad daylight. The victim’s son, Viktor, who was upstairs, was alarmed by his mother’s screams. He ran down the stairs and discovered the man, who was armed with a revolver and a mallet.
The stranger asked the lawyer if she was Claudia Van Der Stichelen, which she confirmed. She then tried to escape through the front door, pursued by the individual.
Her son went back upstairs to call for help, then went back down with a shotgun to help his mother, who was in the front garden of their home, face to face with the stranger. The young man shouted at the attacker to leave his mother alone. The man then turned and fired three shots at him before shooting his 58-year-old mother.
The shooter finally fled through the woods towards the Sint-Lievens-Houtem Market, according to the investigation.
Several search operations were launched around the crime scene to find the shooter, but without success. In June 2024, the police issued a wanted notice for a man seen near Van Der Stichelen’s home who looked “very much” like the perpetrator.
On Monday, the police searched a house in Hillegem, a district in the East Flanders municipality of Herzele, and the 71-year-old occupant was taken in for questioning.
DNA evidence links him to the crime, according to the investigation file.
On Wednesday morning, the suspect was brought before an investigating judge and placed under arrest for murder and attempted murder.
He will appear on Friday before the Antwerp Court, which will rule on his detention.
