A Belgian couple has been sentenced to 30 and 24 years in prison in the 1996 murder of British businessman Marcus Mitchell in the Belgian coastal city of De Hon.
The sentence is less than the government’s request. It carries a life sentence for 54-year-old Jean-Claude Lacott and 30 years for 57-year-old Hilde van Acker. “Their coldness and the agony Marcus Mitchell endured demand the most severe punishment. Although the murder took place 25 years ago,” the prosecution said.
The tribunal unanimously ruled yesterday that former associates Jean-Claude Lockett and Hilde van Acker were the killers of Marcus Mitchell. The British businessman was shot dead in 1996 in the hills near De Han because the couple discovered he had swindled $ 300,000.
The arbitral award was upheld by telephone records, witnesses, a firearms investigation and fraud by the Mitchell couple. The sentence in the murder case was announced today.
Luxurious life
The couple were arrested shortly after the murder, but when they were released a few months later, they fled abroad. For more than 20 years law and police have been searching for them, and they have been found in the United States, Canada, Brazil and South Africa.
There they would have swindled countless people for millions of euros and led a luxurious life. They were able to escape from South Africa’s maximum security prison. In 2019, Logot and Van Acker Arrested In Ivory Coast.
Van Acker also ended up on Europol’s list of most wanted female offenders.
“Introvert. Communicator. Tv fanatic. Typical coffee advocate. Proud music maven. Infuriatingly humble student.”
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