A 20-year-old man, originally from Haiti, has been sentenced to nine years in prison by a Dutch court for ambushing his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend as she walked home and stabbing her to death.
The verdict was handed down by a court in Groningen on March 31 after Jamesley S. was found guilty of the premeditated murder of Jet Korsaan from the northeastern town of Winsum on Feb. 21, 2024.
The court heard how the two had a brief romantic relationship, which Jamesley S. took far more seriously than Jet. His frustrations grew as the relationship ended, particularly after Jet became involved with another boy.
On the evening of the murder, the defendant grabbed the largest kitchen knife he could find and waited for Jet as she walked home. Running at her from behind, he stabbed the teenager in the back. Despite attempts at resuscitation by emergency responders, Jet died from her injuries.
As reported by RTL, evidence presented during the trial included chilling chat messages and Snapchat videos in which the defendant hinted at his violent intentions. “I put on the full-face helmet, then it gets dark and I feel the action. Bam bam! And then I sprint away,” he told friends.
In court, Jamesley S. claimed he never intended to kill Jet, insisting he only wanted to scare her. However, the Public Prosecution Service argued successfully that his actions reflected a premeditated plan, noting that he had hidden spare clothes at a nearby school, wore goalkeeper gloves, and prepared an alibi by having a friend photograph him pretending to sleep.
Prosecutors had sought a 12-year prison term alongside mandatory psychiatric treatment. The defense argued that the act was not premeditated murder but manslaughter, driven by a sudden wave of anger rather than calculated intent. While the sentence was lower, the court upheld the charge of murder.
Expert evidence from the Teylingereind forensic center concluded that the defendant suffers from personality problems with narcissistic traits and borderline characteristics, likely rooted in his traumatic early childhood in Haiti.
Although declared less accountable due to these issues, the risk of reoffending is considered high, especially in future intimate relationships, as he seeks an irrational level of validation from partners and cannot cope with separation.
During the sentencing, Jet’s mother delivered an emotional address, asking, “How could you have done this to our girl? Because she wasn’t in love with you but with another sweet boy?”
The case cast a spotlight on femicide in the Netherlands, where approximately 40 to 50 women a year are killed in acts of violence by partners or ex-partners.
