WILLEMSTAD – The court on Wednesday sentenced 26-year-old Cedricson Lourens to life imprisonment for his involvement in two murders, an attempted murder, attempted manslaughter of multiple members of an arrest team, and illegal firearm possession. The sentence is in line with the demand of the Openbaar Ministerie.
In the case known as Bliksem, the court found it proven that Lourens was responsible for the 2022 murder of 27-year-old Sidney Mercelina. Mercelina was killed by a hail of bullets while sitting on the porch of his home following a party.
In a separate case, Cloud, the court determined that Lourens was also responsible for the 2023 murder of 20-year-old Jorvien Lloyd. Both killings took place in the Seru Fortuna neighborhood. According to the court, the murders were committed using the same firearm and followed a similar modus operandi.
The court further established that in 2023, during his arrest, Lourens opened fire on members of the police arrest team and attempted to kill four officers. In its judgment, the court noted that Lourens has shown no sense of responsibility for his actions and assessed the risk of reoffending as high.
Given the extreme seriousness of the crimes and the need to protect society, the court concluded that only a life sentence is appropriate in this case.
The court also awarded compensation to the surviving relatives of the victims. Both Cedricson Lourens and the Public Prosecution Service have two weeks to file an appeal against the verdict.