PHILIPSBURG--Several police officers had to restrain a man suspected of stabbing a homeless man to death after the suspect launched into an expletive-filled outburst following a judge’s decision to remand him into custody for another four months.
J.J.M.J.H. (37) is suspected of having fatally stabbed another man in Dutch Quarter on February 6. The victim’s body was found lying next to the roadside near the entrance of Garden of Eden.
H. appeared in the Court of First Instance for a procedural hearing on Thursday afternoon and denied any involvement in the early evening killing.
“I was there, but it was not me,” he said.
Holding a manilla folder full of documents in one hand, H. told the court that he is currently in a custody battle for his young son and continued incarceration would jeopardise his chances.
Defence lawyer Zylena Bary pleaded for her client to be conditionally released, saying he was willing to surrender his passport and report to authorities regularly. She also argued that H. can no longer be seen as a threat to the investigation because authorities are only waiting on forensic test results from the Dutch Forensic Institute NFI.
The prosecutor requested that the judge dismiss H.’s plea, pointing to his extensive criminal history, which includes a previous conviction for attempted manslaughter. In that case, H. was found guilty of stabbing a man at a Dutch Quarter bar on August 19, 2022. The victim sustained six knife wounds to his head and face, which required 15 stitches and left permanent scars.
The prosecutor also argued that there is enough suspicion in the current case to warrant H. remaining in his jail cell. For example, investigators heard people at the scene mentioning H. as the perpetrator and witnesses saw the victim fighting with a man wearing a backpack.
Additionally, a search of H.’s home recovered bloody clothing and a knife, as well as a backpack matching the one described by witnesses. The prosecutor said these items are being analysed to see whether there are DNA matches to the victim or H.
“The blood is not the [other – Ed.] man’s blood. It’s my blood,” H. said. “Every day after work in Dutch Quarter, you will see people passing with backpacks.”
The judge agreed with the prosecution and ordered that H. remain behind bars.
H. protested the ruling loudly, and was eventually removed from the courtroom by officers. H. called the decision “unjust,” repeatedly insisted he was innocent, and directed insults and slurs at the prosecutor.
