The trial of Nicolas Ullens de Schooten, who admitted to shooting dead his stepmother, Baroness Myriam "Mimi" Ullens de Schooten, was suspended on Wednesday morning following after his defence challenged the court following on a procedural error.
Nicolas Ullens de Schooten, a former intelligence officer of the Belgian State Security, admitted to shooting his stepmother outside the family's villa in Ohain, Walloon Brabant, on 29 March 2023. His father, Baron Guy Ullens de Schooten, was also injured in the shooting.
While Nicolas Ullens de Schooten has admitted firing the shots, a central question at the trial has been whether the killing was premeditated, with the defence arguing that he acted impulsively following years of frustration.
The killing followed years of tensions within one of Belgium's wealthiest families, largely over the family fortune and Nicolas Ullens de Schooten's deteriorating relationship with his father and stepmother.
According to Walloon Brabant Assize Court President Pierre Delcour, the trial is expected to resume on 4 November.
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After more than eight hours of deliberations on Tuesday, the jury voted by seven votes to five in favour of premeditation. The professional judges then joined the deliberations and sided with the majority, confirming his guilt.
However, his lawyer, Laurent Mayence, immediately challenged the procedure of the decision, arguing that the court had violated the secrecy of the deliberations. The hearing did not resume on Wednesday morning after the defence filed a request for the judges to recuse themselves.
Mayence said the court had made a clear procedural error.
The judges now have 48 hours to decide whether to step aside. If they refuse, Belgium's Court of Cassation will have to rule on the request to remove them from the case.
Nicolas Ullens de Schooten had a licence for the Glock 26 used in the shooting and had brought a second magazine with him, although he did not use it.
The presence of the weapon and additional ammunition has been among the elements relevant to the question of whether the killing was premeditated.
