Kevin Lapeire, who appeared on Belgium’s Got Talent, has been arrested for allegedly killing ex

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

One of Belgium’s leading children’s entertainers broadcast himself live on Facebook during a rooftop standoff with armed police before being arrested over the alleged murder of his former girlfriend.



Kevin Lapeire, who appeared on Belgium’s Got Talent and won an award for the best clown in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, waved a pistol and threw a gas canister at police before finally surrendering.

The 31-year-old, who entertained children in hospitals under the pseudonym Doctor Aspirin and managed the careers of 15 other entertainers, had separated from his partner a few days before. She was named in local media only as Caroline D, 47. The couple had three children.

Lapeire – one of only five professional clowns in Belgium – is alleged to have visited the family home in Oudenberg, a town between Ostend and Bruges, on Sunday night, which was Mother’s Day in Belgium.



He allegedly tied up and gagged their children, aged 12, 15 and 17, and left them in an attic before killing their mother in the garage with a knife, according to Belgian news reports.



Officials at the children’s school were not aware of anything untoward on Monday morning as Lapeire reportedly had called in to say they would be late. He had also sent a text to his former partner’s employer.

On Monday afternoon, Lapeire was spotted on top of a 13-storey apartment building in Bredene, close to his parents’ home, waving a pistol.



He broadcast himself on Facebook Live as he threw a gas canister from the roof, and starting firing into the sky.

Lapeire surrendered four hours later to police snipers, throwing down his coat, pulling his sweater over his head and placing his hands in the air.