Shella was slaughtered in front of her children by her ex-boyfriend

Shella Rosa de Cruz
born: 1989
stabbed to death: January 18, 2022
Place of residence: Rotterdam
Origin: Suriname
Children: 2 (at the time of the murder 13 and 3 years old)
Perpetrator: her ex-boyfriend Garland van der K. (32 years old)

On Tuesday, January 18, 32-year-old Garland van der K. stabbed his 33-year-old ex-girlfriend Shella from Rotterdam more than sixty times in the presence of his 3-year-old daughter and 13-year-old stepson. Apparently, he could not accept that she had ended the relationship with him. Earlier he had also threatened her: "One day I'll shoot or stab you to death. In twelve years I'll be outside again."

Garland's criminal record already includes convictions for open violence, robbery and sex with a minor.

The court believes he did not act on a whim when he killed Shella. He knew what he was doing and went through with it even after his stepson tried to pull him away from his mother.

"While stabbing his partner, the suspect was disturbed by the victim's son. The latter made an attempt to pull the suspect away from the victim. The suspect then stopped stabbing and told the boy not to do that and to stay calm. When the boy then ran to the balcony door to call for help, the suspect said this again. He then continued stabbing," the judge said.

Shella's children suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and are expected to suffer great psychological damage from the repulsive event for a long time to come. Their lives will never be the same, the judge said. The court sentenced Garland to 18 years in prison and hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.