A Nigerian asylum seeker accused of murdering 17-year-old Lisa in Amsterdam has confessed to the killing and to multiple sexual assaults, as disturbing new details emerged during a court hearing on Wednesday.
Lisa was killed in the early hours of Aug. 20 last year while cycling home from central Amsterdam. Prosecutors say CCTV footage shows a man on a distinctive black bicycle with a white front fork following her route from Spaklerweg before remaining near the scene on Holterbergweg, where she was forced off her bike into the grass and fatally attacked.
Investigators traced the suspect, known only as “Chris Jude,” to a nearby asylum reception center, where he had been staying for only a few weeks.
During Wednesday’s hearing reported on by De Telegraaf, the presiding judge asked the suspect whether further charges of rape, attempted rape, and assault against other victims were correct and whether he was responsible for Lisa’s death and other attacks. The defendant replied, “Yes.”
Prosecutors have since added further charges, including an attempted rape on Aug. 10 and the rape of another woman on the night of Aug. 14-15 in Amsterdam East.
According to court reporting, the Aug. 10 victim was attacked while walking home after her bus was delayed. Prosecutors said the suspect threw her to the ground, covered her mouth, and shouted, “Don’t scream!” before a passing cyclist intervened, forcing him to flee. Shoes later found under the suspect’s bed contained the victim’s blood, prosecutors said.
A few days later, he allegedly raped another woman in the same area.
The court also heard that the suspect initially claimed memory loss and said he had grown up in orphanages, but investigators later established he has living family members in contact with him across Europe. Prosecutors said he later admitted his earlier statements were inaccurate and that he had not been ready to speak.
Defense lawyer Dané Kisteman told the court the suspect has now made a full confession. She also added that her client had also confessed to incidents unknown to police, showing he was not acting strategically and that this was “evident” of an ongoing psychiatric problem.
According to the defense, the suspect said he has heard voices since childhood and that their commands escalated, allegedly instructing him to rape and kill. The voices also urged him to take his own life, the lawyer said.
The suspect is expected to undergo a psychiatric examination at the Pieter Baan Center in March to determine his criminal responsibility. Should he be deemed criminally insane, he would not face prison for any of the crimes, but would likely be sent to a psychiatric facility.
Both prosecutors and defense lawyers agreed he should remain in custody pending further proceedings.
The case will return to court after the psychiatric evaluation is completed.
