A new attempt at reconstructing the murder of Julie Van Espen, the 23-year-old girl who was killed next to the Albert Canal in Antwerp in May in 2019, will be made.
The investigating judge will attempt a reconstruction of the murder of Julie Van Espen on Thursday in Antwerp. The reconstruction will take place close to the Albert Canal, where the murder happened, according to the Antwerp public prosecutor's office.
This is the second attempt at reconstructing what happened in May with the presumed murderer, Steve Bakelmans, after he refused last-minute to cooperate in an earlier reconstruction in June, reports VRT NWS.
Parts of the Vaartkaai and the Burgemeester Gabriël Theunisbrug will be closed off, and a perimeter will be set up to make sure the reconstruction be made serenely. The perimeter could lead to some traffic disruptions in the immediate vicinity, reports Het Nieuwsblad
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The disappearance and murder of Van Espen were widely reported on in Belgian media. On a Saturday in May, the 23-year-old student left her home in Schilde around 18:30 by bike to meet with friends in Antwerp, but she never arrived. Her body was found in the Albert Canal two days later.
The presumed murderer, Steve Bakelmans, who had been arrested for rape two times before, confessed that he killed her after she fought him when he tried to rape her.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
