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Peter R. de Vries

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For the American novelist, see Peter De Vries.
Peter R. de Vries
De Vries on De Wereld Draait Door in 2017
Born
Peter Rudolf de Vries

(1956-11-14) 14 November 1956 (age 68)
Aalsmeer, Netherlands
Died15 July 2021
Amsterdam, Netherlands
NationalityDutch
Occupation(s)Investigative journalist
Crime reporter
Columnist
Children2 children
Websitepeterrdevries.nl

Peter Rudolf de Vries (14 November 1956 - 15 July 2021) was a Dutch investigative journalist and crime reporter. His television program Peter R. de Vries, misdaadverslaggever (Crime Reporter) (1995−2012) covered high-profile cases and set a Dutch television viewing record.[1] In 2005, he founded his own political party which was disbanded soon after.[2] On 6 July 2021, he was shot in the head after leaving the television studio of RTL Boulevard in Amsterdam where he had appeared as a guest. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition.[3][4][5]

Early life and career

Peter Rudolf de Vries was born on 14 November 1956 in Aalsmeer in the Netherlands. He attended primary school in Amstelveen and secondary school in Amsterdam. From 1976 to 1977, he was enlisted in military service, where he achieved the rank of sergeant.[6]

In 1978, he became a journalist for the daily newspaper De Telegraaf in The Hague and later in Amsterdam. He gradually moved from general journalism to crime reporting by covering major criminal cases in the Netherlands.[7] In 1987, he resigned from De Telegraaf and became chief editor of the weekly magazine Aktueel, which he transformed into a crime magazine.[8]

Investigative journalism

Peter R. de Vries in 1995

De Vries has worked for several publications in the past and has been an independent crime journalist since 1991.[8] He investigated the murder of Christel Ambrosius,[9] and revealed that Mabel Wisse Smit knew the drug lord Klaas Bruinsma better than she had previously admitted. Another important issue in his show was a found floppy-disk. This disk contained detailed information from AIVD research, the Dutch secret service. It turned out that the service observed the murdered politician Pim Fortuyn; the service thought that he had sexual relations with Moroccan men.[10]

Kidnapping of Freddy Heineken

Main article: Kidnapping of Freddy Heineken

In 1983, De Vries followed the case of the kidnapping of Freddy Heineken for the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. He attended proceedings and sometimes visited the hotels in France where the kidnappers Cor van Hout and Willem Holleeder were being held under arrest.

He wrote two books based on his investigation. The first was De zaak Heineken (The Heineken Case, 1983), released in the same year as the kidnapping. This was followed by De ontvoering van Alfred Heineken (The Kidnapping of Alfred Heineken, 1987), a novel from the perspective of Cor van Hout based on interviews De Vries conducted with Van Hout and Holleeder over a period of four weeks during his last hotel arrest in Évry, Essonne in 1986. The novel was later adapted as Kidnapping Freddy Heineken (2015) starring Anthony Hopkins as Freddy Heineken.

In 1994, De Vries tracked down Frans Meijer, one of the kidnappers, in Paraguay.

Police corruption investigation

On 13 September 2006, De Vries was arrested in Oisterwijk and detained for several hours in Tilburg when he tried to confront a police officer with allegations about questionable actions concerning the inheritances of elderly women.[11] He was charged with one count of trespassing. The case was dropped in January 2007 "in view of the final results of the persistent search for the truth and the results of the disciplinary inquest" into the behavior of the police officer in question.[12]

Kennedy investigation

File:Warren Commission exhibit 697 (JFK motorcade).jpg
Kennedy moments before his assassination.
Main article: John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories

In the first half of 2006, De Vries and Wim Dankbaar produced a two and a half hour special about the 1963 assassination of U.S. president John F. Kennedy. In what has been De Vries' longest show to date, he spent two weeks in Texas speaking with former CIA and FBI agents and the ex-girlfriend of Lee Harvey Oswald. One of the interview subjects, James Files, said he was the gunman responsible for taking Kennedy's life. Files contradicted the findings of the Warren Commission and claimed that the CIA and the mafia were involved in the assassination.[13]

Natalee Holloway disappearance

Main article: Natalee Holloway
Police photo of Joran van der Sloot

In November 2006, a program by De Vries was broadcast in which he accused Joran van der Sloot, one of the prime suspects in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, of her disappearance in Aruba.

On 11 January 2008, Van der Sloot threw a glass of red wine into De Vries' face right after a live broadcast of the Dutch talk show Pauw & Witteman on which De Vries and Van der Sloot (with his parents) had been guests.[14] The wine got into De Vries' eyes and briefly it seemed to have caused him a considerable amount of pain. During the tense but peaceful conversation during the broadcast, De Vries had on several accounts challenged Van der Sloot's integrity.[15]

On 31 January 2008, De Vries said to the media that he knew what had happened in the case of Natalee Holloway. He shared his findings with the police, stating that he would publicly show this new-found evidence in a special episode of his television program.[16] On 3 February 2008 the undercover video aired on Dutch television showing Van der Sloot purportedly smoking marijuana and admitting to being present during Holloway's death. The show was watched by 7 million viewers in the Netherlands and was the most popular non-sports program in Dutch television history.[1] Patrick van der Eem, working undercover for De Vries, had befriended Van der Sloot, who was unaware that he was being taped when he said that Holloway had suffered some kind of seizure while having sex on the beach. After failing to revive her, he said that he summoned a friend named Daury, who loaded her on a boat and dumped her body into the sea.[17] The prosecutor in Aruba determined the video was admissible,[18] but the evidence was deemed insufficient to warrant re-arrest. Although the taped confession appeared damning, Van der Sloot argued that he was lying to impress Van der Eem, who he believed was a drug dealer.[19] Van der Eem said that ABC paid US$830,000 to secure the rights to broadcast the program in the United States.[20]

De Vries wrote the introduction to the June 2008 book Overboord: hoe ik Joran van der Sloot aan het praten kreeg (Overboard: how I got Joran van der Sloot to talk) in which Van der Eem recounts his experience with Van der Sloot with transcripts of the undercover video.[21] On 22 September 2008, in New York, De Vries accepted an International Emmy Award in Current Affairs for his coverage while accompanied by Natalee's mother Beth Holloway.[22]

Joran van der Sloot sex trafficking

Main article: Joran van der Sloot

In November 2008, De Vries aired undercover footage of Van der Sloot making preparations for the apparent sex trafficking of Thai women in Bangkok. De Vries claimed that Van der Sloot was making $13,000 for every woman sold into prostitution in the Netherlands.[23] Van der Sloot used the alias of "Murphy Jenkins" to avoid Thai authorities.[24] Peruvian Minister of Justice Aurelio Pastor said that Thailand is pursuing criminal charges against Van der Sloot. According to The National Enquirer, he is being investigated for his involvement in the disappearance of young women he may have recruited for a Thai sex slave gang while posing as a production consultant for a modeling agency that would send them to Europe.[25]

Death of Mariska Mast

Main article: Jisoo Han

In August 2010, De Vries traveled to Subiaco, Western Australia in an attempt to interview dive instructor Daniel Ian Ross, who is being sought through Interpol for the August 2008 death of 23-year-old Dutch tourist Mariska Esmeralde Mast at the Honduran island of Roatán.[26][27] Ross was initially arrested and released after surrendering his British passport with instructions not to leave the island. Ross, who has dual citizenship, then used his Australian passport to leave the island.[26] Ross denied responsibility for the death through his lawyers in Australia, which does not have an extradition treaty with Honduras.[28] An autopsy report stated that Mast died of blunt force injuries and asphyxiation resulting from strangulation.[28] His flatmate Jisoo Han, who helped take Mast to the hospital, was later arrested and is under house arrest in Honduras.[29] Han publicly appealed to Ross to come forward and exonerate her.[28] Ross called the police when De Vries attempted to contact him at his home on 19 August. De Vries was arrested and paid a $200 fine for disobeying a police order to move on. On 6 September Perth magistrate Giuseppe Cicchini rejected an application by Ross for a restraining order against De Vries, who had by then left the country.[30] De Vries criticized the Western Australia Police for arresting him, stating: "I didn't touch him, I didn't insult him, I didn't threaten him... This is a homicide case and I tracked him down and now you're putting me in jail. That's the world upside down."[31]

Documentary work with Beth Holloway

On 11 September 2010, De Vries traveled to Lima, Peru with his television crew and Beth Holloway to visit Miguel Castro Castro prison where Joran van der Sloot was being held while awaiting trial for the murder and robbery of Stephany Tatiana Flores Ramírez.[32] According to Van der Sloot's attorney Maximo Alonso Altez Navarro, his client was taken to meet them "practically by force."[33] Altez Navarro stated that the meeting with Holloway took "less than one minute," with Van der Sloot saying that he could not speak to her without his lawyer present and handing her his business card. Altez Navarro claimed that Holloway was "snuck" into the prison without being identified by the media crew who she was with.[34] A prison spokesperson stated that Holloway's name was not found in the visitor registry.[32] The group was removed from the prison, reportedly after a hidden camera was discovered by the guards.[35] Representatives for Holloway and De Vries denied that a hidden camera was involved nor was anything seized.[36] Colonel Abel Gamarra of the National Police of Peru stated that no arrests had been made. While in Peru, Holloway spoke with Flores Ramírez's brother Enrique on camera.[34] On 17 September De Vries and the group left Peru for Panama and arrived in Aruba on the same day.[37] He spent a few days in Aruba working with Holloway on a documentary about her missing daughter to be run on Dutch television, with the cooperation of prosecutors who had been investigating Van der Sloot.[36]

Politics

In 2005, De Vries started a political party, Partij voor Rechtvaardigheid, Daadkracht en Vooruitgang (P.R.D.V. or Party for Justice, Action and Progress). On 31 October he presented his plans that mainly focused on changing the existing political culture in the Netherlands.[38] To prove his point, he stated that an opinion poll on 16 December would decide whether he would actually continue his party or not, with a 41% cut-off point. Since only 31.4% thought De Vries would be a gain for Dutch politics, he decided to disband the party.[2][39]

Lawyers' and investigations office

Together with criminal lawyer Khalid Kasem, in October 2017 De Vries and his son Royce de Vries established a lawyer's office in Diemen (Amsterdam South-East area) De Vries & Kasem - Lawyers | Investigations.[40][41] As a non-lawyer himself, he became the company director, and works for clients in regard to their media matters or providing a second opinion.[42]

Marengo process

In 2021 De Vries supported the crown witness in the Marengo process.[43]

Assassination

On 6 July 2021, de Vries was shot after leaving the television studio of RTL Boulevard in Amsterdam where he had appeared as a guest.[44] He was taken to a hospital in critical condition.[3][4][5] Dutch police arrested three suspects that same evening, one of whom was released a day later, as he was no longer a suspect. Peter passed away as a result from the shooting on July 15th 2021.[45][46]

Bibliography

  • De zaak Heineken ("The Heineken Case", 1983)
  • Veronica 25 jaar toonaangevend (1984)
  • Uit de dossiers van commissaris Toorenaar ("From the files of Police Captain Toorenaar", 1985)
  • De ontvoering van Alfred Heineken ("The Kidnapping of Alfred Heineken", 1987), adapted as Kidnapping Freddy Heineken (2014) starring Anthony Hopkins
  • Beroep: Misdaadverslaggever ("Profession: crime reporter", 1992)
  • Cipier, mag ik een pistool van u? ("Warden, may I have a gun?", 1993)
  • Een moord kost meer levens ("A murder takes more lives", 1994)
  • De moord die nooit mag verjaren, en andere minireportages ("The murder that should never expire, and other mini-reports", 2002)
  • Alleen huilebalken hebben spijt ("Only crybabies have regrets", 2005)
  • Een crimineel liegt niet altijd... en andere waargebeurde misdaadverhalen ("A criminal doesn’t always lie... and other true crime stories", 2006) ISBN 978-90-261-2188-3
  • De zwanenzang van criminelen en andere reportages ("The swan song of criminals and other reports", audiobook, 2007) ISBN 978-90-261-2334-4

Board game

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Joran van der Sloot remains at liberty". Radio Netherlands Worldwide. 2008-04-02. Archived from the original on 2009-07-21.
  2. ^ a b "Peter R. de Vries niet naar Den Haag: Politieke carrière in de kiem gesmoord" (in Dutch). TNS NIPO. 2005-12-16. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
  3. ^ a b Laumans, Wouter; Vugts, Paul (2021-07-06). "Peter R. de Vries neergeschoten op Lange Leidsedwarsstraat" [Peter R. de Vries shot down at Lange Leidsedwarsstraat]. Het Parool (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  4. ^ a b "Misdaadjournalist Peter R. de Vries neergeschoten in centrum Amsterdam". NU.nl (in Dutch). 6 July 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Crime reporter Peter de Vries fighting for life after Amsterdam shooting". The Guardian. 2021-07-06.
  6. ^ (in Dutch) Biografie Archived 2008-02-03 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2008-02-03.
  7. ^ (in Dutch) De Telegraaf periode Archived 2008-02-04 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2008-02-03.
  8. ^ a b (in Dutch) Aktueel periode Archived 2008-02-03 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2008-02-03.
  9. ^ "Man arrested for Putten murder". DutchNews. 2008-05-20. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
  10. ^ "aivd-diskettes / Woede om onderzoek naar Fortuyn". Trouw (in Dutch). 2005-12-08. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
  11. ^ (in Dutch) Peter R. de Vries gearresteerd. www.nu.nl. Retrieved on 2006-09-13.
  12. ^ (in Dutch) OM Breda seponeert erfvredebreuk Peter R. de Vries Archived 2008-02-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
  13. ^ "Peter de Vries: CIA achter moord Kennedy" (in Dutch). FOK Nieuws. 2006-04-28. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  14. ^ "Former Holloway Suspect Tosses Wine in Face of Reporter on TV Show". Fox News. 2008-01-12. Archived from the original on 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  15. ^ Van Der Sloot Slings Wine. Retrieved on 2008-02-03.
  16. ^ (in Dutch) TV guide. Retrieved on 2008-02-04.
  17. ^ "A Videotaped Sting May Have Solved the Mystery". People. 2008-02-18.
  18. ^ "Aruba prosecutor: Tape admissible". USA Today. 2008-02-04.
  19. ^ "Van der Sloot not arrested in Natalee case". DutchNews. 2008-02-15.
  20. ^ "Holloway tapes: Van der Eem used cocaine". DutchNews. 2008-06-24. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
  21. ^ Van der Eem, Patrick; Byars, Elizabeth E. (July 2008). Overboord: hoe ik Joran van der Sloot aan het praten kreeg (in Dutch). TM (FMB uitgevers). ISBN 978-90-499-0079-3. OCLC 233591424.
  22. ^ "Endemol's Peter R. De Vries wins Emmy in Current Affairs". Endemol. 2008-09-25.
  23. ^ "Report: Natalee Holloway Suspect Involved in Thai Sex Trafficking". Fox News. 2008-11-10. Archived from the original on 2010-05-31. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  24. ^ "Holloway suspect involved in Thai sex trade". Radio Netherlands Worldwide. 2008-11-10. Archived from the original on 2010-02-13. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  25. ^ Black, Caroline (2010-07-16). "Van der Sloot Being Investigated in Thailand for Participation in Sex Slave Gang, Disappearance of Girls, Says Report". CBS News. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  26. ^ a b "Impossible Interview with Honduras Murder Suspect". Honduras News. 2010-08-20. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
  27. ^ "Wanted: ROSS, Daniel Ian". Interpol. Archived from the original on 2010-06-23. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
  28. ^ a b c Jones, Lloyd (2010-09-09). "Korean appeals for Perth man to help". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australian Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
  29. ^ Pownall, Angela (2010-09-06). "Court bid fails against Dutch journalist". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 2010-09-09. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
  30. ^ "Restraining order on Dutch TV crew fails". Herald Sun. Australian Associated Press. 2010-09-23. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
  31. ^ Jones, Lloyd (2010-08-21). "Dutch crime reporter slams WA police". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australian Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
  32. ^ a b Briceno, Franklin (2010-09-17). "Holloway's Mom Confronted Van Der Sloot in Jail". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-09-18.
  33. ^ "Natalee Holloway's mother meets with van der Sloot". CNN. 2010-09-17. Archived from the original on 2010-09-21. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  34. ^ a b "Natalee Holloway's mother sneaks into jail, confronts suspect". NBC News. 2010-09-17. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
  35. ^ "Attempt to interview Joran van der Sloot fails". Radio Netherlands Worldwide. 2010-09-17. Archived from the original on 2012-09-24. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
  36. ^ a b Myers, Shanisty (2010-09-20). "Holloway and de Vries leave Aruba". WIAT. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  37. ^ "Beth Holloway is Back in Aruba". WIAT. 2010-09-17. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2010-09-18.
  38. ^ "Peter R. de Vries presenteert politieke partij". de Volkskrant. October 31, 2005.
  39. ^ "Peter R. de Vries gaat niet de politiek in". de Volkskrant. December 16, 2005.
  40. ^ "DPG Media Privacy Gate". myprivacy.dpgmedia.nl.
  41. ^ "Misdaadverslaggever Peter R. de Vries opent eigen advocatenkantoor in Zuidoost". www.at5.nl.
  42. ^ https://www.ad.nl/show/peter-r-de-vries-begint-advocatenkantoor-samen-met-zoon~a5fd9b3e/
  43. ^ "Crime journalist Peter R de Vries is known for his high profile cases". DutchNews.nl. 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  44. ^ "Dit weten we nu over de aanslag op Peter R. de Vries". NOS (in Dutch). 8 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  45. ^ "Peter R. de Vries neergeschoten in centrum Amsterdam, drie verdachten aangehouden". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 7 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  46. ^ "Verdachten aanslag op Peter R. de Vries zijn een Pool uit Maurik en een Rotterdammer". Metronieuws (in Dutch). 7 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
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