Renaud Hardy, Belgian serial killer serving life, dies in Bruges prison infirmary at 64
The convicted murderer and rapist died Thursday morning from a chronic illness, the prison service said. Hardy had been receiving palliative care in the prison hospital after his Parkinson's disease worsened.
Renaud Hardy, the Mechelen serial killer sentenced to life in 2018, died on Thursday morning in the infirmary of Bruges prison. He was 64 and had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for years. Prison authorities confirmed the death, and Belgian media reported that Hardy had been receiving palliative care since the previous weekend as his health rapidly declined.
The crimes of Renaud Hardy
Hardy's attacks spanned 2014 and 2015. In May 2014, he murdered 82-year-old Maria Walschaerts in Leest. Later that year, he attempted to break into a woman's home but failed. In February 2015, he attacked Flemish actress Veerle Eyckermans with a stick, leaving her seriously injured; she narrowly escaped. Then, on 17 September 2015, he broke into the home of Linda Doms, a 52-year-old educator in Hofstade. He filmed himself killing her after raping and torturing her. DNA evidence later linked him to the Walschaerts murder.
- Murder of Maria Walschaerts (82) in Leest
- Attempted murder of actress Veerle Eyckermans
- Murder and rape of Linda Doms (52) in Hofstade
- Sentenced to life imprisonment by Tongeren assizes court
- Injures another inmate with a pen; transferred to Bruges prison
- Dies in infirmary of Bruges prison at age 64
Trial and conviction
On 8 March 2018, the Tongeren assizes court convicted Hardy of two murders, two rapes with torture, and two attempted murders. He received a life sentence. During the trial, prosecutor Alexandra Van Kelst emphasized the horror of his acts, stating:
Two women endured hours of torture. They were raped, beaten, struck, mistreated and humiliated. Two women were completely helpless. Two others miraculously escaped this man's destructive aggression. Four families have been destroyed.
Van Kelst saw no mitigating circumstances for Hardy, who, according to De Standaard, focused on self-pity throughout the proceedings.
Final months in prison
Hardy had suffered from Parkinson's disease since 2006. Earlier this year, he appeared in the documentary 'Achter de tralies van de tijd' about elderly prisoners at Merksplas. After filming, he was transferred to Bruges because in the summer of 2025 he injured another inmate with a ballpoint pen. His health worsened in recent months, leading to palliative care. He died of natural causes.
