Man convicted of randomly killing Den Dolder woman on the street, stabbing her 17 times

Wednesday, 22 July 2026 - 16:10 Share this article: On Wednesday, the court in Utrecht sentenced Mert P. (29) to eight years in prison and compulsory psychiatric treatment for killing a 76-year-old woman in Den Dolder on January 2, 2025. He attacked the victim in broad daylight on the street and stabbed her 17 times. The attack caused great unrest in the village.The court described the woman’s killing as “cold-blooded and gruesome.” She was attacked out of nowhere when she was returning home from a pedicure. P. stabbed her in the head, neck, and back using a 19-centimeter-long knife. Bystanders tried to resuscitate the woman, but she died at the scene. The murder shocked the village. The fact that the suspect had been a patient at the nearby psychiatric clinic reinforced feelings of insecu