Justice
A farmer was interrogated for hours on Tuesday in the unsolved case of murdered lawyer Claudia Van Der Stichelen. The Nieuwsblad reports this. The man, previously suspected of the murder of a missing top volleyball player and a hiker, has been questioned as a witness.
Tom Vierendeels and Pieter Huyberechts
Today at 07:30
The farmer is said to have received a summons in the mail a few weeks ago to be heard as a witness in the murder case surrounding Claudia Van Der Stichelen. The lawyer from Sint-Lievens-Houtem was murdered near her villa four months ago. Despite all the efforts and robot photos of the investigators, her death remains a mystery.
It is unclear how investigators ended up with the man in his fifties. Was he the man in gray overalls that witnesses saw walking away after the murder? That is an avenue for investigators. The farmer acknowledges in the Nieuwsblad that his current girlfriend was a client of Van Der Stichelen years ago and that he accompanied her twice. According to him, there was never any disagreement, but his girlfriend still has an outstanding account with the lawyer.
The farmer’s lawyer, Wouter Smet, confirms that a 2.5-hour interrogation took place on Tuesday afternoon. “I am convinced that he has nothing to do with this case, but it seems to me a logical avenue that the investigators are investigating. My client has been in the crosshairs a number of times in the past.”
Disappearance Shittu
This includes the disappearance of top volleyball player Stephen Shittu (39) from Gooik. He disappeared in 2012 after leaving home with his quad bike. Detectives then searched the farmer’s home and fields with cadaver dogs, but he was not prosecuted in 2017. The farmer was also the main suspect for the murder of hiker Georges Appelmans (61) in 2015, but he was finally cleared of suspicion.
Lawyer Wouter Smet: “His new girlfriend was a client of my colleague and I seem to remember that there was actually a dispute about fees. That in itself is not a reason for such a drama. But I have every respect that the researchers do not want to rule out any avenues.”
