Saturday, 21 February 2015 - 09:30
Last hours of woman slain on Amsterdam balcony retold
The last hours of a woman murdered on an Amsterdam balcony in January have been retold in detail by the police. Her murder was possibly a case of mistaken identity, police said, with speculation that the intended target was actually her son.
Sixty-year-old Beyhan Demirci was shot on the balcony of her apartment on Pieter van Werfstraat in Amsterdam Geuzeveld on January 14 at 10:08 p.m. She died at the scene despite emergency services' efforts to resuscitate her.
Her death outraged Amsterdam officials fed up with the ongoing tit-for-tat street assassinations that have become more routine in the city's criminal underworld.
That night, Demirci ate out with her grandson, before coming home with him at 10:05 p.m. Demirci then called her mother in Turkey before smoking a cigarette on the balcony under a blanket.
She was then shot with a Kalashnikov rifle from an apartment window, about eight feet away.
The investigative team has failed to find cause for the murder. The woman had positive relations with her family and never had trouble with police.
It is possible that the shooting was a case of mistaken identity; Demiri's son visists the apartment on a regular basis and appears to have criminal ties. Demiri's face was barely visible under her blanket.
A man was seen in a BMW after the shooting. He was wearing dark clothing and carried a large black bag containing the Kalashnikov. A second person was driving. The pair left the apartment at 10:10 p.m. at a high speed. The car was found on fire ten minutes later in Amsterdam-Osdorp. The police are looking for information about the related arson.
Detectives speculate that the assailant entered through the same side entrance which allowed witnesses to flee the building after the shot was heard. However, he may also have entered through a back entrance.
Police are looking for witnesses who saw the man enter and who can provide an accurate time frame.