Details Emerge on Belgian Baby Killer

Thousands march to honor dead; worker praised as a hero

By Drew Nelles, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 25, 2009 5:00 PM CST

(Newser) – Details of a Belgian daycare stabbing spree emerged today as thousands marched to honor three dead and 12 wounded in the attack, the Telegraph and AP report. A photo has surfaced of suspect Kim de Gelder, a loner who sniggered during police questioning and refused to cooperate. Police believe he had an "attack plan," although he said "not a word," a prosecutor said.

Other details include:

Gelder was carrying a backpack of weapons and had the addresses of three other daycares when police arrested him.
Gelder deliberately targeted the youngest babies, passing over older children.
He entered through a side door known only to parents, indicating he may have staked out the daycare.
A Belgian day care worker died trying to save babies in her care. “She always cared for others, she was so selfless and so much loved,” a friend said.

[Images (5)]

[Quotes (1)]

This is the first picture of Kim de Gelder, nicknamed the Joker for wearing face paint during his alleged killing spree.

The back yard of the Fabeltjesland daycare center is seen in Dendermonde, Belgium, Saturday Jan. 24, 2009. Judicial authorities said Saturday they were questioning a 20-year-old man suspected of a bloody... (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

A small girl carries a note and a stuffed animal to place at a memorial in front of the Fabeltjesland daycare center in Dendermonde, Belgium, Saturday Jan. 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Mourners gather in the town center to march to the Fabeltjesland daycare center in Dendermonde, Belgium, Sunday Jan. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

A photo is displayed of 54-year-old care giver, Marita Blindeman, who was stabbed to death, at a memorial placed at the Fabeltjesland daycare center in Dendermonde, Belgium. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

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Marita Blindeman was the genuine heroine of this massacre of the innocents. She paid with her life when she tried to save children. - La Dernière Heure newspaper

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Details Emerge on Belgian Baby Killer