Renaud Hardy

Renaud Hardy (born April 1, 1962 in Mechelen, Belgium) is a Belgian serial killer who was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, rape and attempted murder in 2018.

Renaud Hardy
Born (1962-04-01) April 1, 1962
Mechelen, Belgium
Other names"The Parkinson's Murderer"
Conviction(s)Murder
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment
Details
Victims2–3
Span of crimes
2009–2015
CountryBelgium
State(s)Flemish Community
Date apprehended
September 21, 2015

Arrest

On September 16, 2015, Linda Doms was murdered in Zemst, Flemish Brabant. Her corpse was discovered a few days later by a neighbor. Several people were interviewed, including Hardy, a former friend of Doms. Initially, the investigators had no evidence of Hardy's involvement and he was released. When the investigators found images on Hardy's memory card showing the crime scene, Hardy was rearrested on September 21, 2015.

During the arrest, the Mechelen court again opened an investigation into older files. From DNA traces a link was established to the murder of 82-year-old Marie Walschaerts, which was committed in Leest in May 2014, and an attempted murder in September 2014 in Bonheiden. He is also the suspected perpetrator of an attack on Belgian actress Veerle Eyckermans in February 2015, who at the time lived near Hardy. He is also considered responsible for the murder of an 85-year-old in Boortmeerbeek in December 2011.[1]

Hardy had been arraigned a week before Doms' murder, with the help of sex offender Doris Corbeel, because in 2014 he had shot a passer-by with an air gun. In his own words, he saw the woman riding on the bike and suddenly had the urge to harm her.[2]

Parkinson's

In 2007, doctors diagnosed Hardy with Parkinson's disease. The disease and its influence on his actions received much attention during his trial, with some Belgian media even calling him the "Parkinson's murderer".[3] It was also mentioned that he took medicine to treat the disease, where a well-known neurologist, Chris Van Der Linden, stated that he had become a murderer due to the addicting medication.[4] Also during the trial, Hardy's defense often cited the disease as a mitigating factor.

Condemnation

The trial began on February 9, 2018. After almost a month, on March 8, 2018, Hardy was declared guilty by the people's jury.[5] He was sentenced to life imprisonment.[6]

References
  1. "Renaud Hardy blijft in de cel in moorddossier Linda Doms". hln.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  2. "Mechelse seriedoder krijgt jaar cel met uitstel voor aanval met loodjesgeweer". hln.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  3. "'Parkinsonmoordenaar' blijft aangehouden". hln.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  4. "'Topdokter' Van der Linden: "Hardy wordt pas seriemoordenaar op moment dat hij parkinsonmedicatie neemt"". hln.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  5. Volksjury verklaart Renaud Hardy over volledige lijn schuldig: “Hij handelde weloverwogen en gepland”, hln.be, 7 maart 2018
  6. "Renaud Hardy reageert emotioneel nadat hij tot levenslang veroordeeld werd, zijn brief voor actrice Eyckermans wordt onderschept". hln.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 2018-03-08.
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