Dendermonde Nursery Attack
The residents of Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde in Belgium were left horrified after a brutal attack on a nursery school which left several people dead. On the 23rd of January 2009, Kim de Gelder, 20, dressed himself up as the notorious character The Joker, and managed to make his way into the Fabeltjesland nursery in Belgium. He entered through an unlocked door and stated he wanted to ask a question. However, De Gelder had much more sadistic plans. Upon making his way to a room, De Gelder pulled out a knife and hatchet and embarked on a sickening rampage attacking the adults and children inside. De Gelder fled the scene but was quickly apprehended. When he was searched, the police came across a list containing a list of nurseries which led the police to believe De Gelder was planning more brutal attacks. In total, two children and one adult were killed during the frenzied attack. Some of those who survived were left with such severe injuries that they required extensive plastic surgery. Prior to the murders at the nursery, De Gelder was the prime suspect in the murder of an elderly woman in Beveren, who was found stabbed to death in her home.
Those who knew De Gelder described him as a quiet person, who rarely spoke. During the investigation, Gelder’s mental state was a point frequently raised. De Gelder confessed how as a teenager he was very troubled, with bouts of depression as well as hearing voices. The attorneys for De Gelder argued that he was suffering from schizophrenia and had no control over his actions. However, psychiatrists disagreed and diagnosed De Gelder with a schizotypal personality disorder with narcissistic and psychopathic traits. The killer’s infatuation with The Joker was well reported across the media. According to reports, De Gelder watched The Dark Night a vast number of times and just before he began his attack, he reportedly quoted the character Harvey Dent.
In 2013, Kim de Gelder was sentenced to life in prison.
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