A 94-year-old man has been violently killed at a care home in Zoersel (Antwerp Province) staff discovered the man’s body on Thursday morning. A 75-year-old man that shared a room with the dead man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Forensics officers and a pathologist went to the scene and an examining magistrate has been assigned to the case that is been treated as murder. A psychiatrist has also been appointed to examine the suspect's mental state.
The care home specialises in caring for people with dementia or early-onset dementia. In 2021, a resident died following a violent incident involving another resident. The management were taken to court by the victim's relatives for negligence but were acquitted.
This is the second incident of violence by a resident resulting in the death of another resident at a Flemish care home this year. In February, a 90-year-old man killed three fellow residents at a care home in the West Flemish municipality of Dentergem. There two victims died at the scene, while a third died in hospital the following day. The perpetrator had his 87-year-old wife 4 years earlier. He had been declared mentally ill and was awaiting admission to a psychiatric institution.