This Tuesday, 12 jurors will be selected to judge the fate of a 47-year-old Belgian suspected of having killed his ex-partner on April 23, 2020 in Sint-Pauwels. That day, Isabelle, a 40-year-old resident of Edegem, went to her ex-companion to pick up their two children, aged 8 and 9 at the time.
Isabelle and B., the suspect, had gotten to know each other at work and had never really lived together. Their loved ones also described their relationship as “turbulent and unstable”. Their breakup, in 2017, had gone very badly and B. had a hard time accepting that Isabelle had found another companion.
The two parents shared custody of their children, but B. suspected Isabelle of not taking good care of them. He accused her of not spending enough time with them and of locking them in their room with a tablet or a mobile phone.
On this day in April 2020, when Isabelle had just arrived at his home, in his garage, to pick up their two children, B. asked him to take better care of them. Isabelle then laughed in his face. A reaction that drove the suspect crazy who freaked out. As the Nieuwsblad explains, he jumped on his ex and hit her hard in the face, arms, chest and then strangled her with both hands. All while the two children were with their grandmother in the living room of the house waiting for their mother.
B. then put his elbow around his ex’s neck and strangled her with a rope lying around in the garage. Isabelle then collapsed. B. then called the emergency services calmly.
So much so that when they arrived on the scene, the paramedics did not expect to find someone in serious condition. However, Isabelle had no pulse and was not breathing. She was taken to hospital brain dead and died there a few days later.
According to the experts, B. was in full possession of his faculties at the time of the tragedy. The Ghent prosecution chamber therefore sent him to an assize court, which will have to determine whether or not he is guilty of premeditated murder.
