After outrage, murdered and abused Gino’s family expects answers in court

The search for 9-year-old Gino went on for days after the boy disappeared without a trace from a playground in Kerkrade one evening in June 2022. Three days later he was found dead in Geleen, near the house of suspect Donny M. He told him where the body was. The trial against M. will be heard this week. This brings an end in sight to a disturbing issue.

For example, emotions were high among Gino’s relatives in the first hearing two years ago. Donny M. a known person then that he had kidnapped, drugged, abused and killed Gino. “What happened, what I did, is terrible,” he said. Gino’s family members shouted curses at the suspect, among other things.

Gino’s sister had already broken into Donny M’s house with other women They were looking for “answers”.

Relatives hope to finally get those answers today, says their attorney Phil Boonen. Over the past two years, the police have done a lot more research into exactly what happened. The suspect’s story did not always match the DNA traces found.

M. said he pressed a pillow on Gino’s head, but no DNA was found on the pillow. No trace of the boy was also found in the car in which Gino was taken. And it’s not visible on camera images either.

“We hope to complete the story,” said Boonen on behalf of Gino’s two sisters. “It appears that what the suspect said happened within half an hour.”

Gino was living with his sister in Kerkrade when he disappeared one afternoon while playing outside. The police immediately launched a massive search operation. Dozens of volunteers signed up to help.

A day after the 9-year-old boy disappeared, his scooter was stolen was found in Landgraaf, five kilometers away. DNA traces led the police to suspect Donny M., who had already been convicted in 2017 of abusing and assaulting two boys.

Later, in 2021, child pornography was found on his phone. The device was seized by the police, but due to a mistake no further investigation was carried out. The police also did not tell other parties that M. had made the mistake again.

Gino’s death had a profound effect on Kerkrade. Thousands of people took part in a commemorative march in 2022:

Things went wrong not only with the police, but also with the support provided by the previous suspect. M. came into contact with many authorities early in his life. As the transition between the different care providers did not always go smoothly, the risk that M. could commit a sexual offense again was reduced. miscarriage. When he was sentenced in 2017, M. was described as a “badly damaged young man”, but the risk was again considered moderate.

After Gino’s death, the researchers advised all agencies dealing with sex offenders to pay even closer attention.

Another case against Donny M. will also be addressed during the trial this week. He is also suspected of sexually abusing another little boy in 2019. Pictures of this were reportedly found on M’s phone.

In the case of Gino’s murder, a second suspect was also in the picture for a while. The police also arrested a friend of M., who is said to have helped make the boy’s body disappear. Six months later, the Public Prosecution Service decided to dismiss the case. He was wrongly arrested as a suspect.

In court today, it must be obvious what evidence came from the extensive investigation of the case, in addition to Donny M.’s own statements. In any case, the Gino sisters are confident in the successful outcome of the trial, their lawyer Boonen said: “It seems that there is enough that the court can work with.”

As the court is expecting a large crowd, the public can follow the case in the community center in the Daalhof area of ​​Maastricht. The public prosecutor will announce the sentence on Wednesday. It was previously recommended that Donny M. be sentenced to TBS if convicted.

The court will come to a decision on November 27. Gino’s mother will never hear the diagnosis. She died shortly after the first hearing in 2022.