Two brothers suspected of murdering a man who was walking his dog in woods in November 2012 and an elderly couple at their home in Exloo six months later, should be jailed for life, the public prosecution department said in court on Monday.

The couple, both 77, were killed in their home at the end of July 2013. They had been strangled and their bodies were not found for several days. The killers stole their bank cards and used them to withdraw cash in Assen.

Police managed to link dna traces found at the crime scene with one of the brothers, who come Hengelo. Telephone taps led investigators to the second suspect and both men, named as Admilson and Marcos R, were arrested in March 2014.

RTL news reporter Rik Konijnenbelt said it is unlikely the brothers will be sentenced to life in prison because it is a very rare sentence in the Netherlands.

‘Life means life, and that means you stay in jail until you die,’ he said. ‘Life is usually handed down to people who have committed previous murders and these two only have drunken driving and shoplifting on their records.’