Van Breda murders

Van Breda murders

The DeZalze Golf Estate where the attack took place
Location Stellenbosch, South Africa
Coordinates 33°57′39″S 18°21′6″E / 33.96083°S 18.35167°E / -33.96083; 18.35167Coordinates: 33°57′39″S 18°21′6″E / 33.96083°S 18.35167°E / -33.96083; 18.35167
Date January 27, 2015 (2015-01-27)
Target van Breda family
Attack type
 Axe murder
Weapons Axe
Deaths 3
Non-fatal injuries
 1
Motive Unknown

The Van Breda murders were the notorious and brutal killings of three family members and the serious injuring of another on January 27, 2015, at an exclusive golf estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa. After a year and a half of investigations by the South African police, the chief suspect and youngest son Henri van Breda handed himself over to police in June 2016 and was released on bail the next day. The case has polarized the country's media and gained significant attention since Henri's surrender.[1]

Murders

On Wednesday, January 27, 2015, Martin van Breda, 54, the managing director of Engel & Völkers in Australia,[2] his wife Teresa, 55, and their son Rudi, 22, were found dead in their home, victims of an axe attack. Their daughter Marli, 16, was in a critical condition having sustained serious head injuries and youngest son Henri, 20, was slightly injured in the incident with only minor lacerations to show. According to court papers he called his girlfriend at 4:42 am which went unanswered and then searched the internet for local emergency numbers and almost 3 hours later Henri made a call to emergency services exclaiming "My ... my family and me were attacked ... by a guy with an axe." The audio recording of this conversation with operators from emergency services was made available by local broadcaster eNCA a few days after the attack.[3][4]

Investigation

Police arrived on scene where emergency services declared van Breda’s parents and brother dead. Marli, who was also attacked with the axe that killed her parents and brother was in a critical condition and rushed to an intensive care unit. Over the course of a few months extensive surgery and further medical treatment saved her life, however she has since been diagnosed with retrograde amnesia and has no recollection of what took place on that fateful night.[5] An axe and a knife, both identified as coming from the van Breda family home, were recovered at the scene. It was determined that no forced entry was apparent and the accused was alleged to have tampered with the evidence. According to police Van Breda was dressed in a pair of sleep shorts and white socks covered in blood, the DNA of which was a match for his parents and brother. The court papers read: "It is believed that after the commission of the crimes, the accused tampered with the crime scene, inflicted injuries to his person and supplied false information to the police in order to mislead police as to the true identity of the perpetrator."[4]

Aftermath and rearrest

Marli van Breda spent months undergoing intensive physiotherapy and eventually returned to school but was kept separated from her older brother, both parties residing with family members. Henri continued to plead innocent while local news outlets reported that he may have had a "tik addiction".[6] According to the Sunday Times, police investigated a number of possible motives, including that Henri's allowance may have been cut off by his parents. The newspaper tracked down a man who claimed to have been Henri's drug dealer and who reportedly identified Henri from a photograph saying that he had been a regular customer. Henri has allegedly spent time at an upmarket drug rehabilitation centre in Cape Town.[7] After a year and a half of investigations police called van Breda's lawyer to inform her of her client's imminent arrest unless he handed himself over to police, which he did on June 13, 2016.[8] According to reports, Marli van Breda's legal representative and curator claimed "The news is understandably very distressing to Marli, the family want justice to take its course.”[8]

On June 14, 2016, Henri van Breda appeared in the Stellenbosch magistrates court to face three charges of murder and one of attempted murder and defeating the ends of justice. Bail was set at R100,000 (the equivalent of approximately $6500) and van Breda was released under the conditions that he report to his local police station regularly and not leave the Western Cape.[9] A pre-trial hearing was held at the Western Cape High Court in September 2016 and the case was postponed until November as state prosecutor Susan Galloway requested more time to obtain outstanding computer and DNA evidence.[10]

Van Breda and his girlfriend, Danielle Janse Van Rensburg were arrested on 6 September 2016 by Table View police for the possession of cannabis and were granted bail of R1000 and R200 respectively. The case of drug possession was heard on 12 October 2016 at the Cape Town Magistrate's Court and was postponed due to outstanding documentation.[11]

See also

References

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