On November 16, 2022, emergency services received an urgent call at 18:11 from the lawyer of Astrid Gadeyne, reporting that her ex-partner, Chris Vanhaverbeke, had threatened in a phone call to take his own life and kill their children. Police discovered the bodies of Maud and Ona Vanhaverbeke one hour later at Vanhaverbeke’s farm along the Sijslostraat in Waardamme, Oostkamp, where forensic examinations determined the girls died from mechanical asphyxiation around midday.
The sequence of events began that Wednesday afternoon when Chris Vanhaverbeke picked up his daughters from school in Ruddervoorde and brought them home, where he killed them. According to the findings of the wetsdokters, the victims were immobilized with their hands tied behind their backs with tension straps, and PMD garbage bags were pulled over their heads and secured around their necks. Chairman Willem De Pauw noted during the proceedings that the accused carried out his plan hours before he eventually telephoned his ex-partner at the moment he was actually supposed to bring the children back to her.
The Arrest and Confessions in Ruddervoorde
Police intercepted Chris Vanhaverbeke at 21:40 in Ruddervoorde, where he crashed his vehicle into a pole while attempting to flee officers. During his initial interrogation, the farmer immediately confessed to the killings, stating that the breakup of his relationship served as the root cause of the tragedy. However, Vanhaverbeke denied a separate allegation that he intended to murder Gadeyne by tampering with an electrical cable on the property.
The volksjury subsequently convicted the accused of premeditated murder, pointing to a deep resentment that developed following the relationship split in August 2022. During that period, Vanhaverbeke issued multiple death threats toward his ex-partner after she initiated divorce proceedings, and he researched family tragedies, asphyxiation, and drowning online. He prepared a Facebook post a day before the murders stating, "My father-in-law ruined everything. I am sorry,” after admitting in court that he formulated his plan two days prior following a family court session.
The Sabotaged Electrical Cable at the Waardamme Farm
Beyond the murders of his daughters, the jury found Vanhaverbeke guilty of the attempted murder of his ex-wife at the Waardamme property. In the afternoon, he had transported the body of Ona to a vacation home on the farm estate, which houses the main distribution board for the entire property. The accused disconnected the power supply cable and switched the fuse back on, leaving four exposed and uninsulated wires carrying live current. A forensic expert testified that touching any of those exposed wires could have resulted in fatal electrocution.
Chairman Willem De Pauw explained that Vanhaverbeke timed his phone call to Gadeyne for the exact moment he was actually supposed to bring the children back, prompting her and her parents to rush to the dark farmstead. Finding the power cut, they investigated the main distribution board in the dark. The jury concluded that the call was a deliberate attempt to lure her toward the exposed wires, and that the murder attempt failed only because the family noticed the sabotaged electrical system using the light from their mobile phones.
Did You Know? Investigators recovered internet search history showing the accused researched family tragedies, asphyxiation, and drowning in the months leading up to the murders.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time were the victims found by law enforcement? Police discovered the bodies of Maud and Ona Vanhaverbeke at the farm in Waardamme approximately one hour after the 18:11 emergency call on November 16, 2022.
How did the accused attempt to flee authorities before his capture? Chris Vanhaverbeke tried to escape police in Ruddervoorde at 21:40 by driving away, which resulted in his vehicle crashing into a pole.
What evidence did experts find regarding the electrical tampering? A forensic expert established that four wires on the disconnected power supply cable were left exposed, unsecure, and live with current capable of causing fatal electrocution.
How will the court proceedings continue following the verdict regarding the premeditated murders and the attempted murder of the ex-partner?
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