Belgian skydiver on trial for allegedly killing love rival by sabotaging her parachute

Prosecutors: Love triangle in 2006 skydiver death

BRUSSELS — A female Belgian skydiver went on trial for murder Friday, accused of allegedly killing the woman who was both her good friend and her lover’s paramour by sabotaging the woman’s parachute.

The prosecutors said jealousy drove Els Clottemans to kill Els Van Doren four years ago by turning their shared passion for skydiving into a murder weapon.

Clottemans, 26, has vehemently denied the murder charges and accusations that she killed Van Doren so she could have the man, another Dutch skydiver, all to herself. Belgian privacy laws make it impossible to identify him.

The case has captured the imagination of this nation since Van Doren fell from 13,000 feet (4,500 meters) into a suburban garden in eastern Belgium after both her parachute and her reserve parachute did not open on Nov. 18, 2006.

A married mother of two and an experienced skydiving enthusiast, Van Doren had jumped from a plane together with Clottemans, their Dutch lover and another skydiver intending to perform tricks in the sky.

Clottemans, however, jumped a fraction too late and did not join the maneuvers with the other three. When the sign was given to open the parachutes, Van Doren struggled with her cords before hurling toward the ground. The dramatic moment was captured on video, filmed by a camera strapped on Van Doren’s gear.

Clottemans became a prime suspect when she attempted suicide hours before she was to make a second statement to police a month after the incident. The investigation revealed that Clottemans had a relationship with the same skydiver as Van Doren.

Prosecutors allege that Clottemans had tampered with Van Doren’s parachute and cut two vital cords before the jump. No hard evidence has surfaced so far to support the murder charge, but prosecutors hope the circumstantial links will secure a conviction.

Chief defense lawyer Vic Van Aelst said prosecutors “have nothing” to tie his client to the death.

“They have to prove they have something, but they have been trying to do it for four years and it is not going very well for them,” Vic Van Aelst said.

The trial opened Friday with jury selection and is expected to last a month. Media interest was so extensive that authorities used a room next to the courthouse so journalists could follow the proceedings through remote video.