Danny C. was convicted on Wednesday to 12 years in prison and compulsory psychiatric detention for the manslaughter of his ex-partner Susanne.
The 52-year-old resident of Lent attacked the 45-year-old woman outside her home on the evening of October 2, 2025, according to court documents cited by Moordplekken.nl.
C. waited on the street in Nijmegen before launching the assault with a large knife, inflicting 25 stab wounds to her chest, abdomen, flanks, and back, with a depth of up to 16 centimeters. Bystanders and emergency responders intervened, and the victim was rushed to Radboudumc, where she died of her injuries on October 3, 2025.
The attack followed a period of escalating domestic tension and separation. Just days before the fatal incident, the victim had ended her relationship with C. after suffering years of domestic pressure driven by his alcohol and substance abuse, as reported by Omroep Gelderland.
Prior to the killing, authorities had already imposed a home and contact ban on C. following incidents involving the physical abuse of the woman and threats made against their oldest son, where he shouted threats to kill the boy, according to Moordplekken.nl.
Did You Know? Investigators found that Danny C. carried a knife measuring approximately 30 centimeters on the night of the attack, which he later claimed he had used for fishing earlier that day, according to Nieuws.nl.
The Public Prosecution Service pressed charges for murder with premeditation, demanding a 15-year prison sentence. However, the court in Arnhem declined to convict C. of murder, ruling that insufficient evidence existed to prove premeditation. Judges said that carrying a knife and lacking a pre-arranged plan did not meet the legal threshold for premeditation, pointing instead to witness statements indicating C. merely intended to talk to the victim that evening.
During the trial, C. claimed he could not remember the stabbing, stating that things went black after he tried to speak with the victim while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Behavioural experts and judges openly doubted this total memory loss, finding no medical or neurological basis for such amnesia.
Psychological evaluations instead diagnosed C. with a mild intellectual disability, a personality disorder featuring antisocial and narcissistic traits, a substance-induced psychotic disorder, and severe addictions to alcohol and cocaine, which experts testified influenced his behavior during the attack.
The court factored C.’s diminished responsibility into the final penalty, resulting in a sentence three years shorter than the prosecution demanded. Alongside the 12-year prison term, the court ordered an indefinite measure of compulsory psychiatric detention (tbs) and a behavioral control measure under article 38z Sr, as detailed by Moordplekken.nl. C. must pay more than 100,000 euros in damages to the surviving relatives of the victim.
Danny C. was sentenced to 12 years in prison, an indefinite measure of compulsory psychiatric detention (tbs), and a behavioral control measure, alongside an order to pay over 100,000 euros in damages to the victim’s relatives.
The court ruled there was insufficient evidence of premeditation, noting a lack of proof that C. planned the attack beforehand, and accepted that witness statements showed he initially approached the victim to talk.
The attack occurred on the evening of October 2, 2025, in Nijmegen, and the victim passed away from her injuries at Radboudumc on October 3, 2025.
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