Nurse Sentenced to 30 Years for Martelange Murder

A Belgian home care nurse has been sentenced to the maximum 30 years in prison for the brutal murder of a 92-year-old patient in a case that has shocked the nation. The Court of Assizes of Luxembourg, sitting in Arlon, delivered the verdict on Friday, June 19, 2026, finding Vinciane Welvaert guilty of voluntary homicide with intent to cause death.

The Verdict

The 12-member jury — composed of six men and six women — deliberated in less than two hours before returning the maximum penalty under Belgian law, granting no mitigating circumstances. The court ordered Welvaert’s immediate arrest following the sentencing.

Prosecutor Alice Lecomte had argued forcefully for the maximum sentence, telling the court: “The prospect that Vinciane Welvaert could one day leave prison is frightening. What is frightening is not only what she did, but the idea of what she could still do. That is why I am requesting the maximum penalty: 30 years.” Lecomte emphasized the extreme violence of the crime, noting that the victim suffered approximately 90 blows, with 32 to the head resulting in a 17-centimeter gaping wound. “Everyday objects turned into weapons. Where is the humanity?” she asked.

The Crime

Marie Reding, described by acquaintances as “a structured and very endearing person,” was killed in her home in Martelange, a town in the Belgian province of Luxembourg near the border with Luxembourg, on March 1, 2023. Welvaert, then 53, was the home care nurse assigned to care for the elderly victim. Instead of providing care, she used everyday household objects as weapons in an attack of exceptional brutality.

According to TV Lux, Welvaert herself alerted police on the morning of the murder, claiming she had discovered the victim in a pool of blood in her bathroom. She was arrested that same evening and placed in pre-trial detention shortly afterward. She had been under electronic surveillance since July 2025.

The Trial

The week-long trial before the Court of Assizes of Luxembourg heard from psychiatric experts who diagnosed Welvaert with a borderline personality disorder but concluded she was criminally responsible at the time of the offense. The risk of reoffending was assessed as low.

Welvaert’s defense maintained her innocence, claiming that an unknown man was present at the victim’s home and forced her to act under duress. However, the investigation found no evidence supporting this theory. A video reconstruction of events presented during the trial contradicted her account, with the prosecution arguing that “her story fractures in the face of science.”

Defense counsel Me Xavier Koener requested a 15-year sentence with mitigating circumstances, arguing: “I do not want Mrs. Welvaert to rot in prison. She has paid for the 2015 facts. She was interned. 15 years is a long time, it is not a favor I am asking.”

The Jury’s Reasoning

The jury justified its decision by citing the extreme gravity of the facts, the violence of the crime scene, and the contempt for human life shown by the accused. While Welvaert’s personality was described as fragile and borderline type, the jury did not consider this a mitigating circumstance.

Background and History

Welvaert had a documented history of psychological and behavioral issues stretching back more than a decade. She was convicted in 2013 for public outrage and was interned in 2015 following acts of harassment, threats, and violence. During the trial, character witnesses described her as “a time bomb,” with one recounting an incident where she bent a car’s windshield wiper with her bare hands in anger over potatoes.

Significance

The case has drawn widespread attention in Belgium due to the profound breach of trust involved: a caregiver entrusted with protecting an elderly patient instead became her killer. The maximum sentence — with no mitigating circumstances despite the accused’s diagnosed psychological condition — sends a strong signal about the court’s view of crimes committed by those in positions of care.

What’s Next

It remains to be seen whether the defense will appeal the verdict. The case has also raised questions about whether it will prompt regulatory changes or increased oversight of home care nursing in Belgium, particularly regarding the monitoring of caregivers with known psychological vulnerabilities.