WILLEMSTAD – Amon F. has been sentenced on appeal to 15 years in prison for his role in the deadly home invasion that resulted in the death of Royal Netherlands Marechaussee officer Toon Brood on Curaçao.
The Court of Appeal significantly reduced F.’s original sentence of 26 years after acquitting him of involvement in a separate murder case.
The fatal robbery took place on May 31, 2024, in Willemstad. Brood was shot and killed during a home invasion while his family members were present. According to relatives of the victim, the attackers acted with extreme violence and thoroughly searched the home during the robbery.
F. was one of several suspects in the case. In the first instance, he received a 26-year prison sentence, but he appealed, arguing that the punishment was excessive. He also requested to be tried under juvenile criminal law because he was 19 years old at the time of the killing. The court rejected that request.
Reduced sentence after murder acquittal
The reduction of F.’s sentence was mainly due to the court’s decision that there was insufficient evidence to hold him responsible for another deadly shooting.
In that separate case, F. had previously been convicted for the death of a 25-year-old man following a dispute over a shipment of electronic cigarettes. The Public Prosecutor’s Office argued that the shooting occurred approximately nine months before the killing of Brood. However, the Court of Appeal concluded that the evidence was insufficient for a conviction in that case.
Other suspects also sentenced
The Court of Appeal also issued sentences for other suspects involved in the robbery.
Aivano M. was sentenced to 18 years in prison. According to the court, he was the person who shot and killed Toon Brood inside the home.
Claverzjion N. received a 16-year prison sentence for his involvement in the violent robbery and the killing.
Glennson Z., who acted as the driver of the getaway vehicle, received a lower sentence. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison, of which six months were suspended. He will remain under a one-year probation period.
The appeal ruling means that the sentences of the suspects were reassessed after a new evaluation of the evidence and each individual’s role in the events surrounding the deadly robbery.