Renaud Hardy (born 1 April 1962), known as The Parkinson's Murderer, is a Belgian

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

who was sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...

for murder, rape and attempted murder in 2018.

Arrest

On 16 September 2015, Linda Doms was murdered in

Zemst Zemst () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the villages of Elewijt, Eppegem, Hofstade, Weerde, Zemst-Laar, Zemst-Bos and Zemst proper. On January 1, 2024, Zemst had a total popu ...

Flemish Brabant Flemish Brabant ( ; ) is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also ...

. Her corpse was discovered a few days later by a neighbour. Several people were interviewed, including Hardy, a former friend of Doms. Initially, the investigators had no evidence of Hardy's involvement and he was released. When the investigators found images on Hardy's memory card showing the crime scene, Hardy was rearrested on 21 September 2015. During the arrest, the

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

court again opened an investigation into older files. From DNA traces a link was established to the murder of 82-year-old Marie Walschaerts, which was committed in

Leest Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

in May 2014, and an attempted murder in September 2014 in

Bonheiden Bonheiden () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Bonheiden proper and Rijmenam. In 2021, Bonheiden had a total population of 15,177. The total area is . Climate Notable peopl ...

. He is also the suspected perpetrator of an attack on Belgian actress Veerle Eyckermans in February 2015, who at the time lived near Hardy. He is also considered responsible for the murder of an 85-year-old in

Boortmeerbeek Boortmeerbeek () is a town in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Boortmeerbeek proper, Schiplaken and Hever. The total area is 18.64 km2 which gives a population density of 620 inhabitants per ...

in December 2011. Hardy had been arraigned a week before Doms' murder, with the help of sex offender Doris Corbeel, because in 2014 he had shot a passer-by with an air gun. In his own words, he saw the woman riding on the bike and suddenly had the urge to harm her.

Parkinson's

In 2007, doctors diagnosed Hardy with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

. The disease and its influence on his actions received much attention during his trial, with some Belgian media even calling him the "Parkinson's murderer". It was also mentioned that he took medicine to treat the disease, where a well-known neurologist, Chris Van Der Linden, stated that he had become a murderer due to the addicting medication. Also during the trial, Hardy's defence often cited the disease as a mitigating factor.

Condemnation

The trial began on 9 February 2018. After almost a month, on 8 March 2018, Hardy was declared guilty by the people's jury. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardy, Renaud 1962 births Belgian people convicted of murder Belgian people convicted of rape Belgian rapists Belgian serial killers Living people People convicted of attempted murder People from Mechelen

Arrest

Parkinson's

Condemnation

See also

References