Rotterdam court acquits man in 2014 mistaken identity murder of mental health director

The Rotterdam District Court on Monday acquitted René F., a 59-year-old man from Schiedam, of ordering the 2014 mistaken identity killing of mental health care director Rob Zweekhorst in Berkel en Rodenrijs, Zuid-Holland. The court ruled there was not enough reliable and convincing evidence to convict the man.

Zweekhorst was shot in the head on Jan. 1, 2014, while walking his dogs in Berkel en Rodenrijs. He died at the scene. Investigators later determined he was not the intended victim. The actual target was Dennis van den B., a nearby resident who was reportedly active in the drug trade.

Prosecutors had accused René F. of ordering the killing and sought a 24-year prison sentence. He was arrested in November 2018 and denied any involvement throughout the proceedings.

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) relied on witness statements, anonymous tips to police, and intelligence reports from police. The court rejected that evidence, stating there was “very little reliable evidence.” The court ruled it could not be proven that F. ordered the killing. The identity of the gunman remains unknown.

Investigators examined possible links between F. and Dennis van den B. Possible motives cited included a financial dispute over real estate, seized 300-kilogram cocaine shipments, marital problems, and control over a corrupt customs officer.

Zweekhorst’s widow read a victim impact statement describing “the invisible crater of a mistaken identity killing,” including, "Twelve years after the impact we are still here, trying to stay upright amid the rubble of what once was a happy family,” NOS reports.

She also described “the icy emptiness in our home, where laughter, warmth, and scattered bicycles once filled the space.”

The presiding judge said the outcome was “very painful" for the victim’s relatives, given that even after many years, clarity about the killing remains absent.