Belgian farmer receives life sentence for murdering his two daughters and trying to kill his ex-wife
A court in Bruges sentenced 48-year-old potato farmer Chris Vanhaverbeke to life imprisonment for suffocating his two young daughters in 2022 and attempting to kill his former spouse.
Assize court verdict and sentence
The West Flanders Assize Court in Bruges sentenced 48-year-old potato farmer Chris Vanhaverbeke to life imprisonment on Friday, 2 October 2026. The court also imposed a five-year placement at the disposal of the sentence enforcement court following his prison term. The ruling followed a jury verdict on Thursday evening that found him guilty on all counts, including the murder of his two daughters and the attempted murder of his former wife. Judges and jurors found no mitigating circumstances during deliberations on the penalty. The court declined to implement an additional security measure requested by the prosecution that would have blocked early release requests for at least 20 years.
- Chris Vanhaverbeke suffocates his two daughters and attempts to lure his ex-wife to the farm
- Assize jury finds Vanhaverbeke guilty of two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder
- Court sentences Vanhaverbeke to life imprisonment and five years of post-sentence supervision
- Bruges correctional court scheduled to hear case regarding alleged hitman solicitation
The events of November 2022
The killings occurred on 16 November 2022 at Vanhaverbeke's farm in Oostkamp. After collecting his eight-year-old daughter Maud and five-year-old daughter Ona from school in the afternoon, Vanhaverbeke suffocated both children with plastic bags. Vanhaverbeke admitted to killing the children from the beginning of police investigations. The jury also determined that he deliberately tampered with the fuse box of a holiday residence on the property, exposing electrical wiring, before placing an alarming phone call to his former wife Astrid to lure her to the dark farm. Both girls had already been dead for several hours when the call was made.
- Prosecution demand
- 15 years
- Court sentence
- 5 years
Arguments in court
Public prosecutor Serge Malefason demanded a life sentence, 15 years of post-sentence court supervision, and a minimum 20-year bar on parole. Malefason described the defendant as someone with narcissistic traits who cannot handle loss, warning of a persistent risk of reoffending against his former wife's family.
He is a man with narcissistic traits who cannot handle his loss. That has not changed. And that will not change tomorrow either.
Defense attorney Kris Vincke contested the stricter release conditions, describing them as excessive and arguing that Vanhaverbeke deserved a future prospect. Vincke stated that Vanhaverbeke hopes to serve part of his detention at the Ruislede penitentiary agricultural facility and eventually return to farming.
The divorce brought him into a state of despair, defeat, and grief. He had the idea that he would lose everything. But that was never really addressed here. Could it also be that he was depressed and out of his mind?
Separate proceedings and family testimony
Vanhaverbeke's parents, sister, and brother did not attend the trial hearings in person, submitting medical certificates that led the court to read their earlier police statements aloud. Prosecutor Malefason questioned the medical explanations during the session, suggesting the family stayed away out of shame. In her statement, the sister recalled that Vanhaverbeke was completely disoriented two days before the killings following a family court session. The legal process against Vanhaverbeke will continue later this year. Having already received a prior conviction for harassing his ex-wife from prison, Vanhaverbeke is scheduled to appear before the Bruges correctional court on 14 December 2026 on charges that he asked fellow inmates to find a contract killer to murder her.
