In a press conference filled with immense pain, Edvin Willems, the son of the victims of the recent fatal accident, has come forward to demand justice for his mother and stepfather. Willems expressed that the family is speaking about the lives of “decent people” and strongly criticized the fact that, to this day, not even a “sorry” has been directed toward the family for what happened.
Willems thanked the Public Prosecutor’s Office (OM) and the prosecutor for the tremendous investigation that was carried out. He highlighted that, for the first time in Aruba’s history, an irresponsible drunk driver who took the lives of two human beings could face an exemplary punishment, with the charges being qualified as manslaughter or murder (attempted murder/murder framework).
During his statement, Willems emphasized that they did not notice any type of empathy or remorse from the suspect (Shanaya) during the previous pro forma session. “Seeing that they have no empathy at all for our loved ones, we will not have any kind of empathy for the accused either,” he firmly declared.
He expressed his disappointment by indicating that the other side has tried to shift the blame onto the victims, which is causing anger in the community and more pain for the family and friends.
Willems also reacted to statements regarding the suspect’s psychological assistance, pointing out that the suspect received a psychologist from the very first days, while he himself, as a son of the victims, had to wait six months for his first appointment. He added that if the case goes in that direction, they will request through their lawyer to apply a TBS measure (mandatory psychiatric treatment/detention) in the sentencing.
Regarding the suspect’s legal defense, Willems stated that the OM has already denied rumors that the suspect was left without the right to a lawyer. He explained that the lawyers the suspect requested simply did not qualify to work on this case. According to Willems, the suspect has changed lawyers multiple times already, having had a total of three lawyers throughout her process. Due to these changes, he acknowledged that there is a high probability that the final verdict will not be handed down tomorrow.
The victims’ son shared the devastating impact this loss has had on the family, especially on his children, who were accustomed to going out for ice cream and spending time with their grandmother every weekend. “Where are my children going to sit now? They also need a psychologist due to the damage this woman has caused us,” he expressed with a lot of emotion.
Willems called for justice so that this case can serve as a lesson for the community, so that Aruba no longer tolerates so-called ‘hit and runs’. “Innocent people cannot continue to pay for irresponsible individuals without a conscience, leaving families in pain and the community in shock,” he concluded.