Court in Curaçao Sentences Murderers of Mike Venema to High Penalties

willemstad - Three women and two men aged between 23 and 33 were convicted for the murder of Dutch national Mike Venema in Curaçao.

Tragic Murder of Mike Venema

A court in Curaçao has sentenced three women and two men to high penalties for the murder of Dutch national Mike Venema. Venema was killed on September 12, 2018, in a house in Jan Sofat. The suspects, after assaulting and ultimately killing him, disposed of his body by driving his pick-up truck to a remote location on the northern side of the island and letting the vehicle with his body inside plunge into the water. It wasn't until half a year later that a diver discovered the pick-up and Venema's remains at the seabed.

The breakthrough in the case came over a year ago when the Peter R. de Vries Foundation offered a reward of 100,000 euros. Following this, the suspects were apprehended, some in Curaçao and some in the Netherlands. The prosecution stated that Venema's last moments were 'a true hell.' He fought for his life, was drugged, assaulted, run over, and administered a fatal injection.

The local media extensively covered the case in Curaçao. Venema was murdered in the upscale residential area of Jan Sofat during a 'sex pool party' organized for him with young women. The five suspects conspired against Venema, claiming their intention was robbery, but his death resulted from the violence used during the incident. The defendants have two weeks to appeal the court's decision.