40 years later, Brabant killings remain unsolved but punishable

On the 40th anniversary of the last in a spate of shootings that shook Belgium, the crimes remain unsolved, but the perpetrators can still be held accountable due to new legislation around the statute of limitations that makes an exception for crimes that have caused serious harm to humanity.

Normally crimes are time-barred after 40 years, RTBF reports, but a 2024 provision added this exception.

The Brabant shootings took place in the early 1980s - mostly in supermarkets - and claimed a total of 28 lives, with 22 others injured in the various armed robberies believed to be perpetrated by the same group of men.

Irena Palsterman is one of the survivors of a particularly gruesome shooting on 9 November 1985 at a Delhaize in which the armed robbers opened fire on customers, including children.

“We had to wait four hours in the shop before learning around midnight that my father was among the victims – he died a little later in hospital, officially on 10 November,” recalled Palsterman, who was in the store at the time of the shooting but hid with her then-12-year-old brother behind a shelf.

“We had been in the shop for a few minutes when we heard what sounded like panic near the checkouts. I thought it was parents getting angry with their children who were asking for sweets, but then I heard shots, two or three, then the shop window shattered, and there was total panic.”

Testimonies enabled investigators to establish similarities with the attacks on the same evening at the Delhaize stores in Braine-l’Alleud and then Overijse on Friday evening, 27 September 1985.

There were said to be three perpetrators, one of whom was taller, each with the same clothing, same type of vehicle and the same modus operandi and determination to kill.

Witnesses described identical weapons and orders given by the perpetrators sometimes in French, sometimes in Dutch, making it difficult to determine the linguistic identity of the attackers.

Despite many leads and the identification of numerous suspects, some of whom were charged, there was never enough evidence to bring the case to court.

The federal prosecutor’s office believes that all options have been explored and that, in the absence of new evidence, the investigation must be closed.

But for victims like Palsterman, in the absence of a judicial outcome, the removal of the statute of limitations for the perpetrators is still a victory worth celebrating.

“I fought hard for this legislation,” Palsterman added.

“Four of us approached the political parties to get it passed, and it was voted through in 2024.

"My conscience is clear because, just as we are condemned to a lifetime of grief for the loss of our loved ones, they too will now never have any peace. They do not deserve a single minute of comfort."