Today she would be told whether she is guilty of the poison murder of her boyfriend Chris Grinwis, but suspect Yvon K. was found dead in her home on Monday morning. Due to her death, the criminal case is stopped and the judge will not make a ruling on Wednesday.
During the hearing, the judge did not want to say anything about the decision that would have been made if Yvon K. were still alive. The court chairman does not consider this appropriate in this case. This brings the matter to an end, to the dismay of many of those present.
According to the judges, a judgment or a view on the case would ‘only raise more questions’. For many interested parties in the public gallery, this was an unsatisfactory end to the case, as disapproving reactions could be heard. A woman sitting in the stands behind Chris Grinwis’ family burst into tears and shouted: “God damn it! How does she do it! This is really, really a big middle finger to all relatives!”
K. died by suicide, police and the Public Prosecution Service reported after an investigation. Due to her death, the criminal case ends, according to the law. On Wednesday, the court declared the Public Prosecution Service inadmissible, without pronouncing a comprehensive verdict. When someone dies, you can no longer prosecute, convict or acquit that person.
The fact that there will be no final legal decision from the court is unpalatable for relatives and acquaintances of victim Chris Grinwis, the former supermarket owner from Halsteren. They have been waiting for years for a verdict, for clarity from independent judges in the long-running murder investigation.
Heritage
What remains after today is the matter surrounding Grinwis’ million-dollar legacy. The wealthy businessman had drastically changed his will a few months before his death and appointed his beloved Yvon as the sole heiress, which also became clear during the court hearings. According to experts, an irrevocable conviction for murder would only have been ‘unworthy to inherit’ and she would therefore not have received a cent from the estate.
Now that she can never be convicted again, the inheritance will most likely go entirely to her youngest daughter, with whom she was very close. Grinwis would even have included this daughter as a second beneficiary in his will, in case Yvon K. died, it was also said during the trial. The daughter was not a suspect in the case.
But this does not necessarily mean that the inheritance issue has to be definitively settled. Previous heirs have the option to contest the inheritance in civil court.
Listen to the podcast De Gifdode here, including the latest episode following the death of Yvon K.
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