Family friend (39) who shot Gianna (14) earlier wanted ‘life sentence’ after arson attack | inland

B. is known to the police. In the summer of 2019, Limburger was sentenced on appeal to three years in prison for arson in his rented house in Hoensbroek, a town in the municipality of Heerlen. He apparently did it in a desperate attempt. The man confessed to his act almost immediately and asked the police to give him a life sentence. At the police station, B. told of having barely eaten for months. He lived on syrup and potatoes, as stated in a sentence.

B. had become entangled with himself during that time. He had few friends, huge debts and no job. He panicked at the sound of a car on the street, fearing that the municipality would cut off the electricity and water supply to his rented house. An old acquaintance of B. therefore describes him as ‘unpredictable’. “If you were friends with him, he was good to you. But if you got in his way, you really had a problem,” says the source, who prefers to remain anonymous.

At the time of the arson, B. was struggling with an addiction to weed and gambling. These disorders have had a great influence on his choices and his behavior, judged a psychologist. Due to his limited coping skills, the suspect saw no other way out than to set fire to his rented house.

According to the psychologist, however, B. was aware of what he was doing and hardly made use of professional help. Because of this, the psychologist advised him to blame the arson in full. Also for this the judge sentenced him to years in prison.

It is unclear how B. fared after his release. The psychologist feared that B. could relapse into a solitary existence if he hadn’t availed himself of the addiction treatment. Nor can the possibility of a new criminal offense be ruled out.

Little is known about the relationship between B. and Gianna’s family. According to local media ZO-NWS he was a family friend of the girl’s parents. He is also called godfather by some. If there has been a conflict he is subject to further investigation by the police. According to the police, Gianna’s mother has been released from the hospital and in the meantime she would have released a statement. The stepfather is still badly injured in the hospital and cannot be approached.

Messages of support rained down on social media after the death of fourteen-year-old Gianna. The girl took lessons at Emma College in Heerlen. Classmates are stunned by the news. “I’ve known her for a little over two years now. She’s one of the sweetest girls she’s ever known, that’s really a shame for words,” says a certain Leonardo.

A friend writes about her grief on Facebook. “We’ve been through so many fun things. We had a nice dance together on Saturday, and now this news. You didn’t deserve that.” Another friend describes Gianna as “super sweet, helpful, funny.” “You were always so cheerful. You always made me laugh. There hasn’t been a day that we haven’t had fun together.’

Limburg governor Emile Roemer is also speaking out. He learned “with intense sadness” of the fateful news, he writes in a Facebook message. Roemer says his thoughts are with relatives. “What happened is unreal and difficult to understand.”

Known people are completely unaware of the cause of the shooting. “All I know is that her mother is a super sweet woman with a heart of gold,” says a friend of her mother.

Family members and friends will hold a silent tour through Brunsum on January 10th. Gianna would have turned fifteen that day. A memorial service will be held this Friday at Emma College in Heerlen, Gianna’s school. The rector does not want to answer questions for the moment.

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