Danish ex-wife killer caught in Spain after murder in Belgium

LEONARDUS LEI BEAUMONT, wanted in Belgium for his former wife’s murder, has been arrested in Calpe.

Beaumont, aged 71 and of Danish nationality, was tried in his absence and received 20-year sentence for killing Josee Widdershoven in Maasmechelen (Belgium) in 2009.

Beaumont was found guilty of shooting his ex-wife at close range with a 22.bore shotgun following ongoing conflict over money,

“A crime like that is closer to an execution,” police said at the time.

During the investigation, the couple’s two daughters told police that only their father could have killed their mother.  “She led a very quiet life and had no enemies,” they said.

Beaumont was due to stand trial in Limburg on May 6 but when he failed to appear, the Belgian authorities suspected that he was hiding in Spain and contacted their Spanish counterparts who traced him to Calpe.

He has now been transferred to Madid where the National High Court is processing his extradition to Belgium.

On his return, he is likely to appeal against the sentence in a bid to obtain a retrial, sources close to the investigation revealed.