Dutch woman denies kidnapping in trial over toddler beaten to death by ex-boyfriend

Dave De K., 34, was suspected of kidnapping Dean Verberckmoes, 4, in January 2022 - Credit: - License: All Rights Reserved Crime Friday, 9 October 2026 - 13:50

“There was never any kidnapping,” Romy W., 29, told the Court of Assizes in Ghent on Friday. She made the statement during questioning on the second day of the trial over the killing of Belgian toddler Dean. W., who is Dutch, is standing trial alongside her former boyfriend Dave De K., 39, from Belgium. He has confessed to beating the child to death inside his car in January 2022.

W. is charged with kidnapping resulting in death. Dean was the son of a woman she befriended while staying at a clinic for treatment for severe alcohol addiction. W. and De K. regularly babysat the woman's two children.

Dean's body was discovered on January 17, 2022, on Neeltje Jans, a former work island in the Dutch province of Zeeland.

De K. later confessed to assaulting Dean in his car in the evening hours of January 13, leading into January 14. A forensic examination found evidence of severe injuries to the boy's head and abdomen. De K. had previously been convicted of fatally abusing his then-girlfriend's 2-year-old son in 2008, for which he received a 10-year prison sentence.

Both defendants were questioned in court on Friday, but most of the proceedings focused on De K., with few questions directed at W. De K. maintained that his former girlfriend was not involved in Dean's death.

W. was given plenty of time to speak about her personal background, becoming emotional several times during the questioning. She cried in particular when discussing the sexual abuse she experienced as a child.

Originally from Zeeland, she lived with her parents before moving in with De K. in the Belgian town of Sint-Gillis-Waas. The pair met on a dating app in 2020, but their relationship quickly became troubled, largely due to alcohol and drug abuse. W. has had a serious drinking problem since her teens, while De K. regularly used various drugs, including cannabis, ecstasy, and GHB, and was preoccupied with sex. W. formally ended their relationship in a letter while both were being held in pretrial detention.

Prosecutors spent time presenting a 120-page indictment outlining the results of their extensive investigation. The trial is taking place at the Court of Assizes in Ghent, where a jury of 12 will determine the defendants' guilt.

Reporting by ANP